Govt Drops Plan For High Speed Bullet Train Project, Says EPU Chief - Bernama

PUTRAJAYA, April 22 (Bernama) -- The cost factor was the main reason the government decided not to go ahead with the high-speed bullet train link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore proposed by YTL Corp Bhd.

"The letters on the decision were sent to parties such as YTL and the relevant agencies in early April," said Economic Planning Unit (EPU) director-general, Datuk Seri Dr Sulaiman Mahbob, told Bernama here Tuesday.

He said the government would have to bear a significant cost based on the financial model that was submitted by YTL.

"Based on the financial model submitted by YTL, the government has decided not to go ahead with the bullet train (project)," he said, without elaborating on the amount the government has to bear.

YTL has proposed the RM8 billion project which would take 90 minutes to travel between the two capitals from about seven-and-a-half hours now.

It was earlier reported that the government has allowed YTL to do a feasibility study and it (YTL) came back to say the project was feasible.

The plan for a high-speed train between the two cities, spanning about 300km, was proposed in late 1990s, but garnered strong interest last year after the government invited companies to come up with ideas for privately-funded projects.

[From http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_business.php?id=328446]