Express rail talks to start this year

Express rail talks to start this year

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will start talks with Singapore on the high-speed express rail service to link the country to the island republic this year, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said.

“I think it should happen this year. We should enhance transportation links between Singapore and South Johor and Malaysia,” he told reporters at the Invest Malaysia Conference here yesterday.

He was asked whether talks on the proposed development were on-going between the two countries.

Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy had said on Nov 6 that the ministry was still studying YTL Corp’s proposed development of a US$3bil rail link project between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

YTL, owner of the railway from KL International Airport in Sepang to the city, said it planned to take the rail unit public to raise between RM6bil and RM8bil to fund the project if it gets the concession for the line to Singapore.