Earlier on Friday, Singapore’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) had issued a strongly worded statement to express its surprise at Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission’s (SPAD) initial statements in media reports that indicated preference for the proposed high-speed rail terminus to be in Johor Bahru rather than in Jurong East in Singapore. However, the commission says its CEO was misquoted in an interview published by a Malaysian business paper.
Instead, it actually prefers to have the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur line terminate in Singapore's central business district, said the SPAD’s CEO Mohamad Nur Ismal Kamal in a press release later that night.
As for the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, a MOT spokesperson said that there was no such agreement which stated that a high bridge will be built next to the Causeway for the RTS, instead of an underground tunnel. MOT added that both countries will only be able to determine the type and alignment of the crossing after both terminus locations are confirmed, but Malaysia has not officially confirmed its terminus location (Singapore's terminus will be located at Woodlands North station on the upcoming Thomson-East Coast MRT line).
This is a high speed rail project and with the high stakes involved, there’s no room for error, not even in media statements.
Photo: Schristia via Flickr
Earlier on Friday, Singapore’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) had issued a strongly worded statement to express its surprise at Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission’s (SPAD) initial statements in media reports that indicated preference for the proposed high-speed rail terminus to be in Johor Bahru rather than in Jurong East in Singapore. However, the commission says its CEO was misquoted in an interview published by a Malaysian business paper.
Instead, it actually prefers to have the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur line terminate in Singapore's central business district, said the SPAD’s CEO Mohamad Nur Ismal Kamal in a press release later that night.
As for the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, a MOT spokesperson said that there was no such agreement which stated that a high bridge will be built next to the Causeway for the RTS, instead of an underground tunnel. MOT added that both countries will only be able to determine the type and alignment of the crossing after both terminus locations are confirmed, but Malaysia has not officially confirmed its terminus location (Singapore's terminus will be located at Woodlands North station on the upcoming Thomson-East Coast MRT line).
This is a high speed rail project and with the high stakes involved, there’s no room for error, not even in media statements.
Photo: Schristia via Flickr