Singapore, Malaysia cooperate on high-speed rail project

Singapore's Transport Ministry confirmed on Saturday that it is working towards a third-quarter timeline to reach a bilateral agreement on the Kuala Lumpur- Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project.
Singapore's Ministry of Transport is working closely with its Malaysian counterpart on various aspects of the HSR project, said a spokesperson of the ministry.
The spokesperson also mentioned that both sides are working on "a number of complex issues", including the operating and financing models which have to be jointly agreed upon.
Plans for the HSR project on the Malaysian side could only progress to the procurement stage after discussions with Singapore, said the Malaysian Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) earlier this week.
CEO of SPAD Mohd Nur Ismail Kamal said the open tender for the rail project would most likely take place in early 2016.
When completed in 2020, the HSR link between the two cities will reduce the overland journey time by half to under three hours. It will be the first high-speed rail link in Southeast Asia.