KUALA LUMPUR - The high-speed rail (HSR) project can continue as long as there are investments from the private sector, said transport minister Anthony Loke.

Mr Loke said that the government is open to proposals to revive the project connecting Singapore and Kuala Lumpur without using public funds.

“We’re open to any proposals as long as there are private investments. We’re not stopping it (the HSR project),” he said at the Invest Malaysia event held at The St Regis hotel on Wednesday.

The minister, however, added that to date, the government has not received any complete proposal from any party despite talks pushing for the project.

“A lot of parties are talking about the project but we haven’t received any complete proposal.

“There is no timeline for the project because the agreement had been cancelled by the previous administration led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

“There’s no urgency in reaching any milestone,” he added.

Mr Loke also said that the government is accepting new mechanisms of funding and implementation of the HSR project.

The HSR project was initially agreed in December 2016 bilaterally, and was to be completed by 2026 to reduce travel time between the island nation and Kuala Lumpur to 90 minutes.

However, the project was put on hold in September 2018, with both sides agreeing to shelve the bilateral project worth RM110 billion (S$32.9 billion) until Dec 31, 2020.

On Jan 1, 2021, Malaysia and Singapore jointly announced the termination of the HSR project, as there was no agreement reached on the changes proposed by Malaysia and the agreement had expired on Dec 31, 2020.

In March 2021, Malaysia announced that it had paid $102.8 million to Singapore for the cost incurred by the republic for the development of HSR and the delays involved. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK