Miyagawa: Japan offers best HSR technology to benefit Malaysia and S’pore

KUALA LUMPUR: Japan is making an all-out bid for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) contract to construct South-East Asia’s largest ever infrastructure project.

The Japanese package would be a truly holistic one with the best HSR technology via the first invented and world-renowned highspeed railway system, the Shinkansen, plus total transfer of technology and local vendor development to greatly benefit Malaysian and Singaporean companies, including small and medium enterprises, said Japanese ambassador to Malaysia, Makio Miyagawa.

“We will be offering our best suited technologies to Malaysians and Singaporeans as well as full-fledged training for the officials, operators and engineers of both countries so that they can start the operations by themselves from day one. Japan would also like to offer the most comprehensive financial package which would certainly help the two nations to reduce as much of their financial burden as possible in introducing this system,” Miyagawa told Bernama.

Bids for the HSR, described as a game-changing joint-venture between Malaysia and Singapore, must be submitted by the middle of this year with the contract expected to be awarded by year-end.

Other bidders for the project may include China, South Korea and France.

The 350km HSR is intended to cut travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to 90 minutes and stimulate the economy of several localities along the route, and it is projected to start operations around 2026.

Miyagawa pointed out that Japan’s engage- ment posture would tie closely with the country’s long-standing philosophy of economic assistance, particularly in Asia.

“The philosophy of our economic assistance has all along been in such a way that Japan has assisted the recipient nations to stand on their own feet. It would not like to dominate the benefits but to share them. It would withdraw from the operation when you are ready to take over. If you would like us to stay on for some years, we would. It is not the Japan’s way to win (a contract) and run away. That would be irresponsible,” he added.