Malaysia Scraps Multibillion-Dollar High-Speed Rail Project to Singapore
- Move needed to ‘avoid being declared bankrupt’: prime minister
- Signals return to rocky ties with neighboring Singapore
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Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said he will cancel a proposed multibillion-dollar high-speed railway link to Singapore, scrapping a signature project of his predecessor Najib Razak in what he called a move to cut costs.
Mahathir, who returned to power in a surprise election win this month, said Monday that ending the project will take time as it requires negotiation with Singapore. The city-state’s transport ministry said later Monday that it hadn’t received any official notification from Malaysia, adding that both sides had agreed to proceed with the high-speed rail link “based on mutual benefits.”