KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 ― Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak unveiled the proposed Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (MyHSR) scheme for public viewing and response today.
Speaking at the unveiling of the design concepts for the seven HSR stations here, Najib said three-month public display will start on November 1.
“This exercise serves as a channel for the public to share their feedback, suggestions or raise any concerns regarding the project and the proposed alignment.
“Information and inspection booths will be placed at key locations in all states along the HSR corridor,” Najib said, encouraging members of the public to visit the booths to learn more about the project while giving their feedback.
He also said that the land acquisition process has begun, with MyHSR submitting applications to the relevant authorities for land freezing purposes to study the viability of the pre-selected areas.
“These areas are further refined to reflect the public’s feedback on the alignment. After which, the finalised areas of land will then be acquired for the project,” said Najib.
Later at a press conference, MyHSR chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal said that land acquisition will begin in the middle of next year.
He said an application to freeze a 500 metre-wide corridor, following the rail track from Bandar Malaysia down to the last stop in Iskandar Puteri has been submitted for the project.
He explained that the purpose behind such a wide corridor to make the most out of the project and the actual acquisition will be around a 50 metre wide corridor along the tracks. However, station and depot areas will be bigger.
Nur Ismal also said he could not divulge the budget allocated to MyHSR under the Finance Ministry for land acquisition purposes.
“The amount is not something we can disclose as there will be a discussion with the land owners and the price will be determined at a later stage. We don’t want (the information) to influence them,” he said.
The high speed rail, expected to reduce travel time from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore to 90 minutes will be served by seven stations in Malaysia and one in Singapore. Each station in Malaysia will have its own theme and concept.
Bandar Malaysia station will be designed as a “re-interpretation of the confluence of Klang and Gombak rivers” and symbolises the wisdom of unity from people from all walks of life.
The Bangi-Putrajaya station is influenced by the intricate details of Islamic architecture while Seremban station was inspired by the “grandeur of the Sri Menanti royal palace and the tropical greenery of the Malaysia Vision Valley”.
Melaka station’s design on the other hand was drawn from the image of a merchant ship, symbolising its historical heritage as an important port of call. The Muar station’s design resembles the ‘rehal’, which is an x-shape platform to place the Quran during recitals.
Batu Pahat station resembles the Kuda Kepang, to strike a balance between heritage and modernisation while finally the Iskandar Puteri station was inspired by the representation of a handshake.
