Exclusive | Hong Kong’s MTR Corp plans joint bid with mainland rail giant to build Kuala Lumpur-Singapore link

Project would be corporation’s first attempt to capitalise on mainland government’s ‘Belt and Road’ trade strategy

Reading Time:2 minutes

Frederick Ma said MTR Corp would most likely take a managerial role in joint projects. Photo: Bruce Yan

Published: 2:15pm, 15 May 2017Updated: 11:26pm, 15 May 2017

Hong Kong’s rail operator plans to join forces with a state-owned mainland Chinese rail giant to bid to build a multibillion-dollar rail line between Malaysia and Singapore, in its first attempt to capitalise on China’s global trade and commerce strategy, a top official said.

MTR Corporation chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang told the Post exclusively that the company was interested in partnering with China Railway Corporation to bid for a contract to build a 350km high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

If it materialises, the project would be MTR Corp’s first investment under China’s “Belt and Road” plan.

The project would link Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, pictured. Photo: Reuters

“We want to expand into new markets under the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative,” Ma said. “But we are careful in considering factors such as financial viability of projects and risks.”

Ma is part of a 30-strong delegation from Hong Kong led by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, in Beijing.