KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 (Xinhua) -- More than 60 civil work packages of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail will be awarded to Malaysian companies, said the Malaysian rail project delivery vehicle MyHSR Corporation on Thursday.
MyHSR's chief executive officer Mohd Nur Ismal told a press briefing that these packages would result in over 5,000 sub-contract packages along the 335 km alignment from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur to the southern Johor state bordering Singapore.
While pushing for localization, Nur Ismal said MyHSR has also asked local players to partner with high speed rail expertise globally to ensure the safety and efficiency of the rail as the high speed rail project is new in Malaysia.
The rail project is also expected to generate more than 70,000 jobs to deliver the civil works packages, including 22,000 professionals and skilled workers.
It is estimated that 209 billion ringgit (53.07 billion U.S. dollars) of gross national income will be generated based on spill over effects in the rail and supporting industries as a result of developing high speed rail capabilities in 2035.
The high speed rail is a joint project between the governments of Malaysia and Singapore that aims to facilitate a 90-minute travel time between the two countries.
It was announced Wednesday that consortiums of Malaysian companies had been appointed as the project delivery partners for the northern and southern sections of the alignment. The project partners will be responsible for designing and delivering the civil works for the rail project.
According to Nur Ismal, the advanced works of the rail project are expected to start by the end of this year, after regulatory requirements are met and land acquisitions are settled.