KUALA LUMPUR: Berjaya Corp Bhd (BCorp), through unit Berjaya Land Bhd (BLand), is eyeing Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high speed rail (HSR) project and other railway-related projects.
The group intends to submit a bid for the HSR project particularly when the tender is open.
It is understood that the Tan Sri Vincent Tan-led group may also consider the potential of railway development in markets where it already operates.
BCorp has businesses in the United Kingdom, Japan, China, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
BLand chief executive officer (CEO) Syed Ali Shahul Hameed told the New Straits Times that the company was bullish on the prospects in the railway industry.
“We are very positive on this new development (within BLand),” he said when contacted.
BLand is involved in property development, property investment, hotels and resorts, clubs and recreation, gaming, education and motor retailing.
The company has formed a railway company called Berjaya Rail Sdn Bhd (BRail), headed by Farizul Baharom.
According to a statement today, BLand is keen to develop the KL-Singapore HSR in addition to other railway-related initiatives in the country.
BLand would engage in the request for information exercise conducted by MyHSR Corporation Sdn Bhd under the Ministry of Finance, it said.
The government had in March said it was still open to proposals to revive the KL-Singapore HSR. YTL Corp Bhd previously was widely seen as the frontrunner to undertake the project.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the project could go on as long as it was not government-funded.
Loke reportedly said the government was accepting new mechanisms for funding and implementing the HSR project.
The project was initially agreed to in December 2016, and it was to be completed by 2026 to reduce travel time between the republic and Kuala Lumpur to 90 minutes.
However, the project was suspended in September 2018, when both parties agreed to postpone the bilateral project estimated to be worth RM110 billion until Dec 31, 2020.
Malaysia and Singapore jointly announced the termination of the project on Jan 1, 2021, due to a lack of agreement on Malaysia’s proposed changes and the fact that the agreement had expired on Dec 31, 2020.
The project was planned as a 350 km-long double-track route (335 km of which was supposed to be in Malaysia, and 15 km in Singapore) with eight stops in total – Singapore, Iskandar Puteri, Batu Pahat, Muar, Ayer Keroh, Seremban, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur.
A bridge over the Straits of Johor – with a height clearance of 25 metres – would have linked the line between both countries.
Meanwhile, according to the BLand statement, Farizul – who is BRail director and CEO – has a wealth of experience in the railway industry.
He was a special adviser to the Transport Minister, head of the project management office for LRT3 at Prasarana Malaysia Bhd as well as the head of legal and the head of cross-border rail for HSR and RTS in Land Public Transport Agency.
Farizul also held various other roles in the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department, Prokhas Sdn Bhd, and The Attorney General’s Chambers Malaysia.
“Through this venture, BRail will be conducting businesses involving the construction of railways and subways, design, supply, and installation of railway systems, development of transit-oriented properties, and consulting and training services for related technical solutions,” the company said.
BLand added that Farizul would be joined by an experienced board of directors comprising experts in engineering, finance and banking, property development, and bilateral cross-border negotiations for transport infrastructure and services.
