Mega stop, go, maybe

Pakatan Harapan announced that it would review a number of mega projects initiated by the previous administration to save the country billions of ringgit. Since then, some multi-billion ringgit projects have been permanently shelved, others suspended or placed under review, while some were given the green light to carry on. Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR)

The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore highspeed rail (HSR) project was among the first mega project to be reviewed by the new Pakatan Harapan government after it came into power, with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad saying that the project was not beneficial and would cost a huge sum of money.

The project, involving a 350km railway scheme linking Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, was expected to start operations

in 2026. It would have cut travelling time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to 90 minutes.

Eight stations were planned for the line: Bandar Malaysia, Sepang-Putrajaya, Seremban, Melaka, Muar, Batu Pahat and Iskandar Puteri stations in Malaysia and the Jurong East station in Singapore.

Interestingly, two days before the Dewan Rakyat was dissolved in April to pave way for the 14th general election, MyHSR Corp Sdn Bhd – the firm responsible for the development and implementation of the project – announced the appointment of two project

delivery partners (PDPs) for the project to oversee the civil works worth a combined RM30bilRM40bil.

The contracts were secured by the joint ventures (JVs) of Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd and Gamuda Bhd (MRCBGamuda JV) and YTL Corp’s Syarikat Pembenaan Yeoh Tiong Lay Sdn Bhd and TH Properties Sdn Bhd (YTL-THP JV), a subsidiary of pilgrim fund Lembaga Tabung Haji.

The HSR project, which was initially estimated to cost a maximum of RM72bil, had eventually escalated to RM110bil, according to Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Cost: RM110bil A 350km railway scheme linking Kuala Lumpur and Singapore Status: Deferred