Marking the next major phase of the Kuala-Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail project, the Singapore and Malaysia governments launched a joint request for information (RFI) exercise on Wednesday to gauge market interest in the project and gather industry opinion on commercial and technical aspects of the project.
In a blog post, Singapore Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister of Transport Khaw Boon Wan said the views gathered will help determine how to commercially structure the project, Singapore's Today online reported on Wednesday.
“To be sustainable and exemplary, the project must meet the market test,” said Mr Khaw, who is co-chairing the ministerial committee overseeing the project with Malaysian Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Wahid Omar.
The exercise is expected to conclude by the end of the year. Companies or consortiums interested in the exercise should write in to Singapore's Land Transport Authority or Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission by Oct 16. Those deemed eligible to participate in this exercise by the Malaysia and Singapore governments will be notified by e-mail.
In his post, Mr Khaw noted that many countries’ high-speed train aspirations fail because the gulf between the government’s ambitions and the market reality is too large.
“This market sensing exercise is intended to close that gulf,” said Mr Khaw. “At MND (the Ministry of National Development), we could see the benefits of conducting market sensing before implementing large-scale projects, such as the development of the Integrated Resorts at Marina Bay and Sentosa.”
While the journey towards the completion of the rail project remains long, Khaw said the “necessary building blocks” are being put in place. “The RFI today is one such building block,” he wrote. “We look forward to the market response.”
The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail link was first announced by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in February 2013. It aims to cut the travel time between the two cities to 90 minutes.