Singapore Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said Malaysia had requested to extendthe suspension period of the project to discuss the country’s proposed changesto the project.
In the spirit of bilateral cooperation, Singapore agreed to a final extensionof the suspension period to 31 December 2020, Khaw said.
Singapore’s Ministry of Transport said that the HSR is a mutually beneficial projectthat will strengthen the connectivity and people-to-people ties between the twocountries.
Singapore looks forward to receiving Malaysia’s formal proposal on the changes tothe HSR project soon, so that both sides can begin discussion immediately, theministry said in its statement.
Once completed, the 350km-long HSR project will reduce travel time betweenSingapore and Kuala Lumpur to around 90 minutes by train, from the current 11hours on existing train services.
The HSR service is expected to start by January 1, 2031, instead of theoriginal commencement date of December 2026, as a result of suspension./.