THE Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) has formed a wholly-owned subsidiary – SG HSR PTE. LTD. – to implement the Kuala Lumpur – Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project.

SG HSR will be Singapore’s infrastructure company for the HSR project, and will build, own, fund and maintain the civil infrastructure in Singapore. This includes the HSR station in Jurong East, the tunnels and a share of the connecting bridge over the Straits of Johor. SG HSR will work with its Malaysian counterpart, MyHSR Corp, to jointly appoint an assets company and an international operator through an open international tender. When HSR services commence, SG HSR will also administer the various concessions.

A statement said that SG HSR will provide a stronger management focus and dedicated resources to handle the complexities of the project and meet the ambitious 2026 timeline. SG HSR will work under the close guidance of the LTA and the Ministry of Transport.

During a recent official visit to China, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong highlighted the importance of regional integration under the Belt and Road initiative. Singapore's cooperation with China concerning the Belt and Road initiative is focused on infrastructure inter-connectivity, financial projects and third-party programmes such as personnel training, which Singapore believes can combine advantages of both sides. In an interview with Xinhuanet prior to his trip, he praised China’s high-speed rail network and said that Singapore looked forward to seeing China’s bids on contacts for the HSR.

The Kuala Lumpur – Singapore HSR is a strategic project between the Governments of Malaysia and Singapore that aims to facilitate a 90-minute travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Better connectivity is expected to bring with it more economic development. The governments of both countries signed a bilateral agreement on December 13 2016. MyHSR Corp is responsible for implementation in Malaysia, and SG HSR in Singapore.

On September 19, MyHSR Corporation and the LTA invited companies specialising in Ticketing & Fare Collection (TFC) to present the latest ticketing technology and developments for the purposes of developing a TFC approach for the project. Companies with expertise in TFC are invited to attend the discussions to be held in Kuala Lumpur on October 9 and 10.