Posted on 06 Nov 2014
Sumitomo Corporation together with its three other partners are set to bid for the multi-billion ringgit Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high speed rail link project.
Sumitomo Corporation Asia and Oceania Pte Ltd KL branch general manager Junichi Yano said the company and its allies, namely the East Japan Railway Company (JR-East), Hitachi and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, are currently in the midst of final discussions before they embark on bidding the project.
“We are towards the end of discussions. Obviously I could not reveal much on the discussions at the moment. We are waiting for the government to call for an open tender,” he told The Malaysian Reserve.
Yano said he is expecting the Malaysian government will go for a tender process within the next two years as the project is targeted for completion by 2020.
However, in an interview with Bloomberg on Oct 28, 2014, Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission Chairman Syed Hamid Albar said the project could take six to seven years once construction starts by 2016.
“Both governments (Malaysia and Singapore) should decide on the terms and conditions, as well as costs involved for the rail project and then only they will call for tender process.
“We are looking forward,” he said adding that upon tendering for the projects other related issues including job scope of the all four partnering companies in the consortium will be sorted out.
This the first time the four big companies have joined together for a high speed rail project.
The much anticipated high speed rail link, between 320 km to 340 km in length, is currently undergoing engineering study. The proposed rail link was first announced in 2013, and is expected to cut down travel time between Kuala Lumpur to Singapore to 90 minutes.
“We have ample record and experience in HSR projects. In fact, we have partnered with another consortium to build the Taiwan High Speed Rail,” Yano added.
In Malaysia, Sumitomo has a number of crucial projects such as the construction of the mass rapid transit (MRT) project track works linking Sungai Buloh and Kajang, power plant and steel-related projects, fertiliser production and the telecommunications business.
It also one of the four short-listed companies in bidding for the Kepong incinerator project through the partnership with DRB-Hicom Bhd.
