Japanese companies, including East Japan Railway Co., have decided to opt out of the Kuala Lumpur (KL)-Singapore high-speed rail project.
According to several news reports from Japanese media, the companies felt that it would be too risky to get involved without the support of the Malaysian government, citing sources that include those from the Japanese and Malaysian governments.
Singapore’s acting minister for transport Chee Hong Tat announced in Parliament in August 2023 that the country is open to start on a “clean slate” on the rail link. However, Singapore has not received any new proposal from Malaysia, he added.
The transport ministers of both Malaysia and Singapore said that both countries were keen to revive the project according to other news reports in May 2023.
The 350 km-long rail link will cut travel time between Singapore and the Malaysian capital to 90 minutes from an estimated four hours by car previously.
See The Edge Malaysia’s report for more details.
