Sultan Ibrahim wants HSR project revived

Reviving the HSR project

Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar has said he wants to revive the high-speed rail (HSR) link project between Malaysia and Singapore.

"I will make it (come back) on," — Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar

Speaking to The Straits Times/ANN, the Johor Ruler suggested the line could be funded through a private finance initiative — the government would pay a contractor to operate the line under a 30-year lease, letting it recoup its costs before ownership transfers to the state. He noted that repeated delays have only driven up the eventual cost compared to sticking with the original proposal.

The HSR project's timeline

• 2013: the rail link was first announced, with an initial cost estimate of RM72 billion.
• 13 December 2016: Malaysia and Singapore signed bilateral agreements for the 350km line, targeting completion in 2026 and a 90-minute Kuala Lumpur-Singapore journey time.
• September 2018: with costs by then estimated at RM110 billion, the project was shelved, with both sides agreeing to a pause until 31 December 2020.
• 1 January 2022: Malaysia and Singapore jointly announced the project's termination, after failing to agree on changes Malaysia had proposed before the agreement lapsed.
• August 2023: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the project remained under discussion.

Deepening Johor-Singapore ties

Sultan Ibrahim spoke warmly of Johor's close relationship with Singapore, describing decisions that can be settled "over a cup of tea" between the two sides. He attributed this to a genuinely special relationship — not just between governments, but between the Johor royal house and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's family, who have known each other for more than 35 years. With Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong expected to lead a new generation of Singaporean leadership next year, the Sultan said he hopes for even closer ties, looking forward to meeting and hosting each other more often, and floated deeper collaboration on technology parks, data centres, and staff exchanges between the two sides to learn from each other's gaps.

"That should be the way," — Sultan Ibrahim

Source: The Star