The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, has unveiled his intentions to revive the previously cancelled Malaysia-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) link project next year.
In an interview with The Straits Times, Sultan Ibrahim, slated to become the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong in the coming year, shared that he has formulated ideas for the revival of the project. He proposed a private finance initiative, wherein the government would pay the contractor to operate the line under a 30-year lease, allowing the government to recover costs before assuming ownership of the HSR.
Photo via Paul Tan's Automotive News
In addition, Sultan Ibrahim emphasised that the HSR connecting Kuala Lumpur and Singapore should have Forest City as the border crossing.
The HSR project was initially announced in 2013 but faced delays during the Pakatan Harapan administration in 2018. Subsequently, under the Perikatan Nasional administration in 2021, then-Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin cancelled the HSR link project.
This decision led to Malaysia compensating Singapore with SGD 102.8 Mil (RM 357.6 Mil).
Despite the setback, in August of the current year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stated that Malaysia would submit a new proposal for the project to Singapore.
The Sultan's proactive approach to revive the HSR suggests potential progress and renewed efforts in resuming this crucial connectivity initiative.
