Reviving KL-Singapore HSR via private investment is feasible, but plenty of hurdles to overcome: analysts

[KUALA LUMPUR] Long thought to be dead in the water, the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) could yet get a fresh lease of life, but only if the mega-project – once estimated to cost as much as RM110 billion (S$33.2 billion) – is paid for by the private sector.

Last month, Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke said that the unity government under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has not decided if it wants to revive the project, nor has it set a timeline to do so.

He added that the government is, however, open to receiving proposals from private firms. A Mar 30 report in The Edge quoted unnamed sources as saying that five companies were invited to meet with two government agencies to assess their interest in reviving the HSR. The five include MMC, WCT, YTL, Berjaya and Malaysian Resources.