Japanese firms opting out won’t affect HSR project, says Loke

GOMBAK: The proposed Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed railway project will not be affected despite reports that some Japanese companies opted out of participating in the request for information (RFI) process, says Anthony Loke.

The Transport Minister said just because some quarters pulled out didn’t mean the project should be halted altogether.

“It’s up to them. It doesn’t mean that if one party is uninterested, we should stop altogether.

“There are many other parties who are interested.

“It doesn’t affect anything,” he told reporters on the sidelines after announcing the Transport Ministry’s initiatives for Thaipusam on Saturday (Jan 13).

Loke said he was also made to understand that there were hundreds of companies who have expressed interest.

When asked who the companies were, Loke said he did not know as the matter was handled by MyHSR Corporation Sdn Bhd (MyHSR).

He added that other companies interested in the project would be known after the RFI deadline on Jan 15.

Loke was responding to a question on media reports that Japanese firms have decided to drop their plans to get involved in a high-speed rail project.

On Friday (Jan 12), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the government would study the impact of the Japanese rail firms’ decision to opt out of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) project.

“Will look into it, I just received the report,” Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said.

According to a Kyodo News report, the Japanese firms had decided to drop their plans to get involved in a high-speed rail project as sources said it “will be too risky without the Malaysian government’s financial support”.

In July 2023, MyHSR Corporation Sdn Bhd (MyHSR) launched a RFI process to enable the private sector to formally submit concept proposals for the HSR project through a public-private partnership model.

It also held an RFI briefing for the project, which reportedly attracted over 700 local and international participants.

The implementation of the RFI process also signifies the government’s initiative to revive the HSR project through new financing mechanisms and execution models, as well as efforts to enhance rail transport infrastructure and boost the country’s economy.