New bridge to be constructed for KL-S'pore High Speed Rail

SINGAPORE and Malaysia will build a new bridge over the Straits of Johor to be used by the trains on the new High Speed Rail (HSR) link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

The bridge will be constructed 25 metres above the water level, said Singapore's Land Transport Authority and Malaysia's Land Public Transport Commission in a joint statement on Tuesday evening. The exact location of the bridge was not revealed.

The statement was issued shortly after the prime ministers of Singapore and Malaysia, Lee Hsien Loong and Najib Razak, met in Putrajaya for their annual leaders' retreat. They witnessed the signing of the HSR bilateral agreement by Singapore's Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan and Malaysia's Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

The express service for the 350 kilometre-long HSR will reduce travel time between Singapore and KL to 90 minutes, much faster than the current four or five hours by road.

There will also be a domestic service within Malaysia. The first express trains are expected to be up and running by Dec 31, 2026. The HSR will open with eight stations - Jurong East station in Singapore, and Bandar Malaysia, Putrajaya, Seremban, Ayer Keroh, Muar, Batu Pahat and Iskandar Puteri stations in Malaysia.