SINGAPORE – Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) today signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between both governments on the Singapore-Malaysia High Speed Rail (HSR) project.

Malaysia’s Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan and Minister Khaw Boon Wan, Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport, signed the MOU, signalling the governments’ firmest commitment yet to the project, according to the LTA.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

In his speech, Mr Lee called the 2026 target date “a very ambitious timetable”, but one that will draw the peoples and economies of both countries closer.

Noting that once completed, Singaporeans can go to Kuala Lumpur (KL) for a show or for business and then catch a train back in time for dinner, Mr Lee said “it will not seem like going overseas at all”.

Here’s what you need to know about the iconic project:

1. The 350km-long HSR is targeted to be up and running by around 2026.

2. Travelling time between both cities is expected to be 90 minutes, travelling at a top speed of more than 300kmh.

3. There will be eight HSR stations between Malaysia and Singapore, with the two terminal stations at Jurong East in Singapore and Bandar Malaysia in KL. Other stations include Iskandar Puteri, Batu Pahat, Muar, Ayer Keroh, Seremban and Putrajaya.

4. Passengers can clear customs, immigration and quarantine checks at their point of departure. The facilities will be located at three locations – Singapore, Iskandar Puteri and KL. For example, Singaporeans taking the HSR service to KL can clear the checks of both countries’ authorities at one point, before they board the train, reducing the hassle involved.

5. A tender for the project is expected to be called within the next month.

News from around the world in recent days has been dismal: a terror attack in the French city of Nice, a failed coup in Turkey, and shootings of cops in the United States.

Amid these worrying developments, is there room for optimism, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was asked at a dialogue last night.

These are troubled times, he replied, citing Brexit, terrorism and tensions in the region.

“But at the same time, we should remember this is a time generally of peace and prosperity,” he said.

Globalisation has brought considerable benefits to people in South Asia, China and all over the world, he noted. And the way forward is more globalisation, he added.

However, he stressed that there must be greater distribution of the benefits of globalisation “to those who have not enjoyed it or may be at risk of its side effects”.

PM Lee was speaking to about 1,000 people at the South Asian Diaspora Convention’s gala dinner. Moderator Shyam Saran, India’s former foreign secretary, also asked him what message he wanted to convey on globalisation.

PM Lee pointed out that India’s opening up to the world since the 1990s has seen it prosper, and its diaspora has provided a network and presence all over the world.

“Singapore, too, has sought benefits from our links with the subcontinent,” he said, adding that India, too, has a role to play in this region.

PM Lee was also asked how he would respond to a world that was becoming more fragmented.

He acknowledged that people would like to think they were safer if they returned to the “good old days”.

But, he pointed out: “If you go back to a closed world, you’re going to be a lot poorer. And you will not be able to operate the way you are doing.”

“You may wish that your own market is more secure and those unfair competitors were not present,” he said. “But if everybody has that attitude, then many of these companies will not exist. Certainly, they will not be able to operate the way they have done. That means we are all worse off.”

The challenge, he said, was to make this basic reality clear to millions of people whose economic well-being depends on that.

“You need politicians who have courage, who are prepared to stand, face the crowd, and say, ‘Well, you would like me to say something different but I have to tell you what my conscience and my reason say is true’,” he added.

“It’s not easy but if you want to make the system work, such leadership is necessary.”

PM Lee was asked if peace in the region was at risk from developments such as China’s angry reaction to an international tribunal’s ruling on the South China Sea.

He said South-east Asia has prospered in the last 20 or more years because the region was peaceful.

“South China Sea has the potential of offsetting that. It may or may not,” he added. The countries involved do not want to collide and are trying their best not to “but there are tensions at stake and it is not so easy to resolve”.

South-east Asia has been in a similar situation before, he noted, pointing to how the region was on the front line during the Cold War.

“Fortunately, we passed that phase,” he added. “But if dark clouds come, we will have to find a way to manage complexities.”

– Pearl Lee

This article was first published on July 19, 2016.
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