Gursharan Singh, a former National Audit Department principal examiner, suggests that MRCB's exit from the KL-SG HSR bidding consortium signals doubts about the project's viability.
Gursharan Singh, a former principal examiner at the National Audit Department, believes that MRCB's withdrawal from the consortium bidding for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (KL-SG HSR ) project indicates the company's assessment that the project may not be financially viable.
Singh highlighted several challenges with the project, including the claim of a seamless 45-minute journey between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, which he argued may not be accurate due to travel time to and from stations. He also pointed to the success of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR, attributing it to the lack of viable alternatives between the two cities. Singh labeled the withdrawal as a 'wise decision', emphasizing the significant financial risks associated with the project due to high costs. He warned that funding through borrowing could lead to increased public debt and higher interest rates, while the expected time savings might be minimal compared to existing highways and rail electrification. Additionally, he expressed concern that high HSR fares may not be competitive with air fares and existing railway services, ultimately turning the project into a white elephant
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