SINGAPORE: Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Monday (Sep 5) told Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob that Singapore is open to fresh proposals from Malaysia on the terminated Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High Speed Rail (HSR) project.
Mr Wong also noted Malaysia’s interest in reviving discussions on the project – echoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s comments after he met his counterpart Mr Ismail Sabri during the Malaysian premier’s first official visit to Singapore in November last year.
Mr Wong, who is also Singapore’s Finance Minister, is on his first official visit to Malaysia since being appointed DPM in June.
The HSR project, which aimed to reduce travel time between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to about 90 minutes, was discontinued after multiple postponements at Malaysia’s request and an eventual lapsing of an agreement in December 2020.
Malaysia paid more than S$102 million in compensation to Singapore for the terminated project.
On Monday, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a release that Mr Wong had called on Mr Ismail Sabri and the two “reaffirmed the substantive and broad-based cooperation shared by Malaysia and Singapore”.
Both welcomed the “good” progress made on the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link Project, which is slated to start service at the end of 2026.
Mr Wong then reiterated Mr Lee’s invitation to Mr Ismail Sabri to visit Singapore for the 10th Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat, said the PMO.
“Prime Minister Ismail Sabri and Deputy Prime Minister Wong looked forward to Singapore and Malaysia working together for the continued mutual benefit of both countries, including in new areas of cooperation in green and digital economies,” the release added.