Malaysia, Singapore to call tender for rail project

Kuala Lumpur, Aug 19 (IANS) Malaysia and Singapore are set to call for a tender on August 22 to appoint a Joint Development Partner (JDP) for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project, officials said on Friday.

The partner is expected to "provide project management support, technical advice and procurement advice relating to the high speed railway systems and operations", Xinhua news agency reported citing a joint press release by Malaysia's MyHSR and Singapore's Land Transport Authority.

"It will also develop the technical and safety standards to be adopted for the project," it added.

As the first joint tender since the Malaysian and Singaporean governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding in July, it will also see the JDP assisting the joint project team with the preparation of documents for the forthcoming tenders, the statement said.

The tender is open to firms who have advised on large public private partnership infrastructure projects, including HSR projects of similar size and complexity, it said.

The 350-km HSR is expected to handle commuter trains between the two capital cities travelling at speeds more than 300 km per hour. It is expected to become operational in 2026.