KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 30): Public inspection on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project starting Nov 1 will focus on the existing alignment featuring seven local stations, without the proposed station at the Forest City property development in Johor.

MyHSR Corp Sdn Bhd project delivery group director Mark Loader said the Public Land Transport Commission (SPAD) is still reviewing the application made by the multi-billion Forest City project’s developers, namely Hong Kong-listed Country Garden Holdings Ltd, the Johor state government and the Sultan of Johor.

However, if the Forest City station review is approved, MyHSR would convene a second public inspection for the changes in that area to show the plots of land that would be affected by the new alignment.

In the meantime, Loader said the three-month public inspection till Jan 31, 2018, would showcase the seven locations as agreed in the bilateral agreement between Malaysia and Singapore last December.

“Our mandate is develop the alignment with the seven stations. So, our plan is to keep the alignment within the affected plots that might be acquired for the project,” he said in a closed-door media briefing on the project.

The information in the public inspection includes the plots of land within a 500 metre corridor that would be affected, and the public is able to navigate computer images at the sites to check the status of their land vis-a-vis the project.

“It should be noted that details of affected landowners are not available at the inspection locations. They are stored in a book of reference kept by SPAD as it is confidential information but landowners can view the details there,” he added.

On the tentative cost of the additional station to the project, MyHSR commercial director Tony Yeap said it was a sensitive matter but that hopefully the project is delivered in terms of cost equality.

Previous reports state the cost of the 350km project to be about RM60 billion, but analysts had estimated it may go up to as high as RM77 billion.

Loader said the public inspection at 43 locations in four states and two federal territories would gather feedback on the the locations of the stations and the alignment, and give three months to consolidate the responses and submit to SPAD.

“We aim to get final approval from SPAD on the alignment by April next year. Once the railway scheme is approved, it allows us to start construction and land acquisition,” he added.

The rail project, which would cut travel time to 1.5 hours, is expected to run through Bandar Malaysia, Bangi-Putrajaya, Seremban, Melaka, Muar, Batu Pahat and Iskandar Puteri, in Malaysia, and Jurong East in Singapore. It is targeted for completion in 2026.