Malaysia has remitted the payment for abortive costs incurred by the republic for suspending the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project, according to Singapore’s Transport Ministry.

In a statement today, the ministry’s spokesperson said the republic has “received confirmation from the government of Malaysia through diplomatic correspondence” about the remittance.

On Sept 5 last year, Singapore agreed to suspend construction of the project until the end of May 2020.

Following Malaysia's request for the deferment of the project, the government has agreed to pay an abortive cost of S$15 million (S$1=RM3.04) to the Singapore government by Jan 31, 2019.

A legal document was exchanged in Putrajaya between the two countries to vary the HSR Bilateral Agreement based on the new understanding.

The HSR Express Service between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur is expected to commence by Jan 1, 2031 instead of the original start date of Dec 31, 2026.

- Bernama