KUALA LUMPUR (April 8): MyHSR Corp Sdn Bhd is seeking a Technical Advisory Consultant (TAC) for the suspended Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Railway line (HSR).

In a statement today, MyHSR Corp, which was set up in 2015 to undertake the development and implementation of the railway line, said it will carry out an open tender to appoint the consultant, who will review the technical aspects of its recommended option for the project following its revision by the Malaysian Government.

“The TAC will review and validate the proposed infrastructure assets within Malaysia, such as alignment, stations, and HSR maintenance facilities to validate the recommendation.

“This review is expected to include on-the-ground data collection activities such as topography survey data, soil investigation and ground condition assessments,” said the group

MyHSR Corp Chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal said the group’s search for a TAC marks a significant development before the end of the project’s construction suspension ends on May 31, 2020.

“This tender marks an important step forward before the end of the suspension period in May 2020. We encourage all firms with the relevant experience to participate in this tender as the findings of this review will help us chart the right course for this project,” said Nur Ismal.

Construction of the 350km HSR project was jointly suspended by the Governments of Malaysia and Singapore on Sept 5 last year, with the former seeking ways to cut the project’s cost from the reported RM110 billion.

In light of the suspension, MyHSR Corp has pushed back the commencement of the line’s service to Jan 1, 2031, from the initial Dec 31, 2026.

The HSR is one of a few Government mega projects launched by the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) Government that are currently subject to reviews by the current Pakatan Harapan (PH) Government over inflated costs.