말레이시아~싱가포르 고속철도, 한중일 3개국 입찰 경쟁 구도 Very good progress on Singapore-Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail pact: PM Lee Hsien Loong

Very good progress on Singapore-Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail pact: PM Lee Hsien Loong

He hopes S'pore and Malaysia can sign it when the two PMs meet at Leaders' Retreat soon

   리센룽 싱가포르 총리가 지난 1일 내년 발주 예정인 17조 원 규모 말레이시아~싱가포르 고속철도 입찰에서 참여 국가를 한국, 중국, 일본 3개국으로 제한해 언급했다.

그는 세계 유력 철도시스템들 중 일본 한국 중국이 고속철도 수주를 위해 매우 치열한 경쟁을 벌이고 있으며 이들 국가 중 한 곳을 결정하는 일은 매우 어려운 선택이 될 것이라고 밝혔다.

한국은 기술력보다 자금 조건 문제로 일본과 중국에 다소 밀리고 있는 상황이지만 이번 리센룽 총리의 발언은 한국에게 아직은 수주 기회가 남아있다는 것을 반증하는 것이다.

말∼싱 고속철도 사업은 총 공사비 최대 150억달러 달하는 초대형 프로젝트로 총 연장 350㎞에 대부분이 말레이지아 구간에 속해있다.

황기철 콘페이퍼 에디터

Ki Chul Hwang, conpaper editor

source PropertyGuru

edited by kcontents

Pearl Lee

Singapore and Malaysia have made "very good progress" on a bilateral agreement on the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.

This agreement should clearly set out a sound basis to build and operate the system and specify details like cost sharing, he said in an interview with Malaysian news agency Bernama, adding that executing the project well is also important.

And he hopes both countries can sign this agreement when he and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak meet at the Leaders' Retreat soon.

Several high-speed rail systems in the world have been lobbying very hard to get this contract - the Japanese, the Koreans, the Chinese high-speed rail. Each has its strengths, and we will have a very difficult decision evaluating the bidders who come along and deciding which one is the best overall.

   

"It is a very ambitious, very complicated and very expansive project, in terms of scale," PM Lee told Bernama chairman Azman Ujang in the interview on Monday, a transcript of which was released yesterday.

"We have to try our best to anticipate what the likely issues are, when we build it, when we operate it, and have a clear understanding of how we will deal with it if a situation arises," PM Lee added.

he project would not bring just economic benefits, but it would also make it much easier for people on both sides to go back and forth, and strengthen prospects for friendship and harmonious relations, he said.

Asked for his advice to the officials involved, PM Lee said the first thing for both countries was to "have a sound agreement... on the basis of how the project is structured, how it is going to be executed, and how it is backed by the two governments".

Both sides have been discussing the agreement for over a year, he noted, saying: "We are almost there, and I hope that when I meet Prime Minister Najib at the next retreat, we will be able to sign the agreement."

On Tuesday, Malaysian Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan met Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan. Datuk Abdul Rahman said they met "to harmonise last-minute details of the bilateral agreement on the Malaysia-Singapore high- speed rail project before the signing ceremony in December".

In July, both men signed a memorandum of understanding for the rail project, which was witnessed by the two prime ministers, as a first step towards the agreement. Construction work is expected to start in 2018, with trains running in 2026.

PM Lee said execution - designing the system, calling for tenders and evaluating the proposals - will be key.

"Several high-speed rail systems in the world have been lobbying very hard to get this contract - the Japanese, the Koreans, the Chinese high-speed rail," he said. "Each has its strengths, and we will have a very difficult decision evaluating the bidders who come along and deciding which one is the best overall."

Asked about the cost sharing of construction, PM Lee said things like that had to be clearly specified, and it was one of the items that made the project complicated.

Noting that it was like the Channel Tunnel from London to Paris, he said: "When you have two authorities involved, you have to decide how to partition, where the line is drawn. I build my part, you build your part, and we have to meet at the same point. If it does not meet, then we have a big problem."

He added: "It is complicated but there is a will. And there is a good will, and we would like to make it succeed."

Asked if a third bridge between Singapore and Malaysia was still needed or viable, PM Lee said: "We are not currently planning for a third bridge.

"I have seen some statements in Malaysia suggesting one, but the high-speed rail is a very ambitious project. I would focus all my energies doing that one before we launch a new big project," he added.

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/pm-very-good-progress-on-high-speed-rail-pact

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