KUALA LUMPUR (May 2): A consortium of YTL Corp Bhd and Lembaga Tabung Haji has accepted a letter of appointment from MyHSR Corp Sdn Bhd for the southern section of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high speed rail (HSR) project.

In a filing to Bursa Malaysia, YTL said YTL THP JV Sdn Bhd — a partnership between its wholly-owned subsidiary Syarikat Pembenaan Yeoh Tiong Lay Sdn Bhd and Lembaga Tabung Haji's wholly-owned subsidiary TH Properties Sdn Bhd — has accepted the appointment letter commissioning the consortium as the project delivery partner (PDP) for the southern section.

According to YTL, the southern section of the project stretches from the contract boundary being the first standard viaduct pier on the south side of the Melaka station to the international boundary between Malaysia and Singapore.

MyHSR Corp had selected another consortium comprising Gamuda Bhd and Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd — MRCB Gamuda Consortium — for the northern portion.

The PDPs will be responsible for the design and delivery of the HSR's civil works at an agreed cost and schedule. They will also carry out all necessary activities throughout the planning, construction, testing and commissioning phases of the HSR project, among other responsibilities.

The PDP tender that was called for on Nov 22, 2017 by MyHSR Corp was an open tender.

Eight stations are currently planned for the KL-Singapore HSR, namely, Bandar Malaysia, Sepang-Putrajaya, Seremban, Melaka, Muar, Batu Pahat and Iskandar Puteri in Malaysia, and the Jurong East station in Singapore.

The HSR service is targeted for commencement by Dec 31, 2026. The service is expected to cut travel time between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to 90 minutes, compared with more than four hours by car.