Malaysia, Singapore to ink binding deal on high-speed rail in December

Malaysia, Singapore to ink binding deal on high-speed rail in December

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong (left) will witness the signing 

of the agreement at their annual talks in Johor. ― Picture by Saw Siow Feng

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 — Putrajaya and Singapore will formalise the high-speed rail (HSR) link between their two countries in a binding agreement on December 5.

According to the New Straits Times (NST), the draft agreement that is pending Cabinet approval will also detail cost and revenue sharing aspects of the project.

The agreement will also see both Malaysia and Singapore decide whether to build a tunnel or a bridge across the Johor Strait to link the HSR, it said.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong will witness the signing of the agreement at their annual talks in Johor.

The agreement will include a bilateral committee to oversee the project, manage issues that might affect cross-border services, and provide regulatory oversight for the HSR.

The deal will also allow future  passengers to clear Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) at their point of departure, NST said, adding that both countries will co-locate these facilities at three sites: Bandar Malaysia, Jurong East and Iskandar Puteri.

On July 19, Malaysia and Singapore signed a memorandum of understanding, with seven points of agreement, on the development of the HSR.

As part of the next phase in project preparations, the Malaysian and Singaporean governments tasked MyHSR Corp, a company wholly owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated in Malaysia, and the Land Transport Authority, respectively, to implement the project.

The HSR is expected to cut land travel time between the two cities to 90 minutes. The targeted completion date is 2026.

Malaysia and Singapore agreed to the rapid rail link between the two capitals following a retreat between Najib and Lee in 2013.

- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-singapore-to-ink-binding-deal-on-high-speed-rail-in-december#sthash.Rk8nbLJI.dpuf

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