China Exports of HSR, Trains, Metro, Tram, Rolling Stocks, etc: News

[JSCh]

NY subway to run 1st trains made entirely by China
By Han Junhong and Zhou Huiying | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2018-07-04 14:40

New York's subway system will welcome its first trains entirely manufactured by China. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

New York's subway system will welcome its first trains entirely manufactured by China, according to the manufacturer -- CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles.

On June 27, the State-owned CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co, a subsidiary of China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, gained supplier qualification from the New York transportation department after more than a year of qualification processes and operation inspections.

The Chinese firm has met more than 120 standards required by US government branches and civil associations.

The stainless-steel subway trains can be operated at 102 kilometers per hour and have a service life of 30 years.

 

[JSCh]

3 July 2018 - 12:42
Chinese NORINCO to build tramway in Qazvin

TEHRAN, Jul. 03 (MNA) – A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Chinese NORINCO International Co. and Qazvin Municipality to build the first tramway line of Qazvin.

In a ceremony held on Tuesday in Qazvin Municipality headquarters, managers of NORINCO International Cooperation ltd and Qazvin Mayor Ali Safari inked an MoU to build the 7.5-km tramway in the city of Qazvin.

The cost of this tram line is estimated to be some $150 million.

According to the MoU, the Chinese company will have some six months to finish initial research and the implementation of project should begin by the start of the new [Persian calendar] year 1398 (starting March 21, 2019).

Tramways are built along public urban streets and electric-based trams run on them. It is regarded as a green and efficient transportation which can solve heavy traffic issues.


Chinese NORINCO to build tramway in Qazvin - Mehr News Agency

 

[JSCh]

July 05, 2018
First Thomson-East Coast Line train arrives in Singapore
Written by Keith Barrow

LTA​

TESTING of the first driverless metro train for Singapore’s Thomson-East Coast Line is underway at Mandai depot in the north of the island in preparation for the opening of the first phase of the line at the end of next year.

Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) awarded a consortium of Kawasaki Heavy Industries and CSR Qingdao Sifang (now part of CRRC Corporation) a $S749m ($US 549m) contract in May 2014 to supply 91 four-car trains.

The 43km, 31-station TEL will open in five phases between 2019 and 2024, linking the north of the island with central and eastern districts.

In September 2017 LTA awarded SMRT Trains a nine-year contract to operate the line.

 

[JSCh]

"Made in China" subway cars ready for Boston passengers by end of 2018
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 12:57:11|Editor: ZX

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker (C) takes a ride on a new Orange Line train manufactured by China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) at Wellington Yard in Medford, a residential and industrial suburb of Boston, the United States, on May 15, 2018. New subway cars designed and manufactured by CRRC are undergoing tests and will be ready to take passengers in Boston by the end of 2018, said local officials on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

BOSTON, the United States, May 15 (Xinhua) -- New subway cars designed and manufactured by a Chinese company are undergoing tests and will be ready to take passengers in Boston by the end of 2018, said local officials on Tuesday.

A set of four cars made an appearance on the test track at Wellington Yard in Medford, a residential and industrial suburb of Boston, when Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker took a ride on the train while Stephanie Pollack, secretary of Massachusetts Transportation Department, introduced the new features of the vehicles.

The cars were the first four of 152 cars to serve the Orange Line in Boston. Each car needs about 500 hours of burn-in test before officially taking passengers on board, according to Pollack.

The secretary said once the cars are all delivered, passengers of the Orange Line will be able to have trains come every four and a half minutes during rush hour instead of every six or seven minutes currently, which will increase the number of commuters the line can carry in one hour by about 40 percent.

The new features of the vehicles include gap mitigation devices, additional passenger emergency intercoms, wider side door openings, automatic passenger counters and closed circuit cameras.

Baker said the train cars he toured signaled the first step in the delivery of all the new cars, which will gradually replace the nearly 40-year-old cars presently serving Boston lines.

These new cars are part of a contract between Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC).

According to the contract, the CRRC will also design and manufacture 252 new cars for Boston Red Line subway. The vehicles for both lines are worth a billion U.S. dollars.

CRRC Vice President Jia Bo told Xinhua that most of the new cars will be assembled in the Chinese company's plant in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Construction of the plant, spreading over 204,000 square feet (about 18,952 square meters) and equipped with a 2,240-foot (683-meter) dynamic test track and a staging/storage area, was completed in April.

The factory has brought not only new cars, but also job opportunities to Boston.

"We currently employ 156 local workers in our factory. That's more than what we have promised," said Jia, who added that the factory will probably be hiring 260 local workers by the end of 2021.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1016684499416035331

 

[JSCh]

Chinese constructors complete foundation of cross-Mekong River super bridges
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-12 00:07:57|Editor: mmm

Photo taken on July 11 shows the Luang Prabang railway bridge under construction by the Chinese engineering company China Railway No.8 Engineering Group (CREC-8) on the Mekong River in Luang Prabang, Laos. The concrete casting for the last pier understructure of Luang Prabang railway bridge has been successfully completed, laying down all the foundation construction work of the two cross-Mekong River super major bridges along the China-Laos railway. (Xinhua/Liu Ailun)

VIENTIANE, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The concrete casting for the last pier understructure of Luang Prabang railway bridge has been successfully completed, laying down all the foundation construction work of the two cross-Mekong River super major bridges along the China-Laos railway.

At Tuesday night over the Mekong River in Luang Prabang city's north, some 220 km north of Lao capital Vientiane, tankers were busily carrying concrete for the casting of No. 21 pier foundation of the bridge.

Tang Gaoyun, division secretary of the Communist Party of China working committee with the China Railway No.8 Engineering Group (CREC-8), responsible for the construction of the third section of the China-Laos Railway and the construction of the two cross-Mekong River railway bridges, told Xinhua on Wednesday that after building the No.21 pier foundation of the Luang Prabang railway bridge, his CREC-8 division has planted a major milestone along the China-Laos Railway, which means the completion of the main and the most difficult work of the two cross-Mekong River bridges' construction.

"We have passed through a critical juncture," Tang said. "The completion of the No. 21 pier foundation will pave the way for the CREC-8 to raise all the Mekong River bridges' piers above the flood level before the flood season."

As one of the key projects of the China-Laos Railway, the Luang Prabang cross-Mekong River super major bridge is 1458.9 meters long, with 34 spans. And the construction of No.21 pier is the most complicated and risky, due to its proximity to the main shipping lane in the middle of Mekong with deep water and strong current around.

The China-Laos railway crosses Mekong River twice on north of Luang Prabang, with the Luang Prabang bridge and Ban Ladhan bridge under construction.

In the other relevant development, the last pier foundation of the Ban Ladhan railway bridge over Mekong River, some 240 km north of Vientiane, has completed concrete casting on July 4, and the pier has risen above flood level last Sunday.

To some degree, construction of bridges and tunnels is the decisive factor of whether the China-Laos railway can be built on schedule. The China-Laos railway has a total length of more than 414 km comprising 60 percent of bridges and tunnels, linking Mohan-Boten border gate in northern Laos and the capital of Vientiane.

The China-Laos railway is being promoted by the leaders of the two countries as a project of interconnectivity. Since the commencement of construction in December 2016, the building of tunnels, bridges, roadbeds and other sections has progressed smoothly along the route.

The operating speed of trains on the route is designed to be 160 km per hour. The railway is expected to be fully operational in December 2021.

Photo taken on July 11 shows the Luang Prabang railway bridge under construction by the Chinese engineering company China Railway No.8 Engineering Group (CREC-8) on the Mekong River in Luang Prabang, Laos. The concrete casting for the last pier understructure of Luang Prabang railway bridge has been successfully completed, laying down all the foundation construction work of the two cross-Mekong River super major bridges along the China-Laos railway. (Xinhua/Liu Ailun)

 

[JSCh]

First in West Africa! Chinese-built light rail starts operation in Nigeria
New China TV
Published on Jul 13, 2018

The first light rail in West Africa opens in Nigeria's capital Abuja. President Muhammadu Buhari is among the first passengers to take the train. Get what commuters say about the Chinese-built project.

 

[Daniel808]

First in West Africa! Chinese-built light rail starts operation in Nigeria
New China TV
Published on Jul 13, 2018

The first light rail in West Africa opens in Nigeria's capital Abuja. President Muhammadu Buhari is among the first passengers to take the train. Get what commuters say about the Chinese-built project.

Love to see African people get Develop with Chinese assistance, a Win-Win Development for people from both countries

@AndrewJin @antonius123 @gambit @jhungary

 

[JSCh]

Belgrade-Budapest railway construction starts
Source: Xinhua| 2017-11-29 10:15:07|Editor: liuxin

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic (C) speaks at the opening ceremony for the construction works at Belgrade-Stara Pazova segment of Belgrade-Budapest railway in Belgrade, Serbia on Nov. 28, 2017. Work to modernize and reconstruct the Belgrade-Stara Pazova segment of Belgrade-Budapest Railway started on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Wang Huijuan)

BELGRADE, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Work to modernize and reconstruct the Belgrade-Stara Pazova segment of Belgrade-Budapest Railway started on Tuesday.

The 34.5 km-long segment, the railway's first part to start construction, is expected to be completed in three years.

The segment in Serbia, with an investment of 350 million U.S. dollars, was kicked off at a ceremony at Zemun railway station in Belgrade by Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, Minister of Construction, Transportation and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic, and Wang Xiaotao, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission of China.

The railway linking Budapest with Belgrade is the first cross-border project jointly realized by Serbia, Hungary and China within the framework of the cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC), said Brnabic.

It has a total length of 350 km, with 184 km in Serbia. It is designed for electrified passenger and cargo trains with a maximum speed of 200 km per hour.

Brnabic said that Serbia had the most projects among the regional participants of the Belt and Road Initiative and the 16+1 cooperation format between China and the CEEC.

"Project Belgrade-Budapest implies that Serbia is developing in a smart and a strategic way," Brnabic added.

"Our wish is to attract people to use trains, as well as those who transport cargoes across Serbia," Mihajlovic said, noting that with this project Serbia has truly become a part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Yang Zhongmin, chairman of state-owned China Railway International Company Ltd., said that the railway was a leading project in the 16+1 cooperation format and an example of the comprehensive strategic cooperation between China and Serbia.

Yang said the Chinese companies will fulfill their obligations concerning procedures, employment and environment,and adhere to Serbian regulations.

"We are looking forward to the opening of Belgrade-Budapest railway -- the day when we will together with the people of Serbia enjoy the fruits of the development of Serbia-China cooperation," Yang said.

Wang said that since the project to modernize the Belgrade-Budapest railway was initially agreed on at the 2013 China-CEEC leaders' meeting in Bucharest, China and Serbia have carried out close cooperation.

"I hope workers from the two countries will work devotedly and complete the project with high quality, to make the Belgrade-Budapest railway a road of friendship, cooperation and development and to become a new milestone of China-Serbia friendship," Wang said.

CCCC signs contract for Serbian section of Belgrade-Budapest railway
July 18, 2018

Abstract : China Communications Construction Co., Ltd. (CCCC) recently signed the contract for the Novi Sad-Subotica-Kelebia (border) section in Serbia of the Belgrade-Budapest railway, during the Seventh Leaders' Meeting of China and CEEC.

BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhua) -- China Communications Construction Co., Ltd. (CCCC) recently signed the contract for the Novi Sad-Subotica-Kelebia (border) section in Serbia of the Belgrade-Budapest railway, during the Seventh Leaders' Meeting of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC), according to yidaiyilu.gov.cn.

The Belgrade-Budapest railway is the flagship project of China-CEEC cooperation and is also a landmark project for the construction of the Belt and Road between China and Europe.

The section of the signed contract is 107 kilometers long and will be constructed by CCCC and China Railway International Group.

The section starts from Novi Sad passenger terminal and to the north reaches the Serbian-Hungarian border Kelebia village close to Subotica city in Serbia.

With a designed speed of 200 kilometers per hour, the project will adopt the current Serbian standards in design and construction.

 

[JSCh]

Sino-Lao railway project drives full steam ahead
By Jing Shuiyu and Ren Xiaojin | China Daily | Updated: 2018-07-19 10:14

Bridge piers are being built across the Nujiang River in Yunnan province, as part of the China-Laos railway project. [Photo/Xinhua]

Construction of the China-Laos railway is gathering steam, as a main bridge over the Mekong River has been completed, said executives of construction giant China Railway Engineering Corp.

The rail project, which will connect Southwest China with Laos by 2021, is part of the two countries' efforts to promote interconnectivity.

Last week, a subsidiary of State-owned CREC completed the construction of the No 21 pier foundation of the Luang Prabang bridge across the Mekong River. As one of the key projects of the China-Laos railway, the bridge is 1,458.9 meters long with 34 spans.

Tang Gaoyun, a division Party secretary of the China Railway No 8 Engineering Group, said the bridge is one of the line's most difficult and complicated projects, due to the river's deep water and strong current.

The completion of the No 21 pier foundation will pave the way for future construction, Tang said.

The China-Laos railway project first kicked off in December 2016. The 40 billion yuan ($6 billion) project will take an estimated five years to complete. Chinese investors put up 70 percent of the funds for the project, with the rest coming from investors in Laos.

The rail line starts from the Mohan-Moten border area between the two countries, running over 414.33 kilometers, more than 62.7 percent of which will run over bridges and through tunnels. The construction of the bridges and tunnels is considered one of the decisive factors in whether the rail project will be built on schedule.

Language barriers, bad traffic conditions in the deep mountains and woods, and difficult living conditions were also obstacles that Zhou Xiaoxia, project manager of China Railway No 5 Engineering Group, faced when he started his work.

Facing these difficulties, Zhou and his team went deep into the woods to measure the route and prepare for the construction. "The China-Laos railway is one of the important routes that connects the two countries together," Zhou said. "It's a huge honor to be part of this project."

The rail line is designed for a speed of 160 kilometers per hour, using Chinese standards and equipment.

The project is not just a rail line, but represents the Lao people's faith in China, Zhou said. "The quality of the railway represents the image of China. We need to apply the same high standards as we use for the bullet train to the China-Laos railway," he said.

By the end of May, 40 percent of the phase one project had been completed with a zero defect rate. Zhou said he is confident he will finish his mission by the end of 2021.

"The company is leveraging its advantages in railway management, technology and resources to conduct research, as well as to offer construction and equipment manufacturing for the project," he said.

 

[JSCh]

CRRC: A look inside of modern day manufacturing
By: Tamara Sacharczyk
Posted: Jul 17, 2018 06:00 PM EDT
Updated: Jul 17, 2018 07:01 PM EDT

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Inside of a massive building on Page Boulevard in Springfield... China-based rail car maker CRRC is putting the city back on the map for manufacturing.

CRRC broke ground in Springfield in 2015, expanding their Chinese manufacturing empire into the city, while creating nearly 200 jobs.

22News took the "hard-hat tour" of the massive 204-thousand square foot facility with Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno.

(Seeing this in action, I'm sure this is giving you a lot of hope for the city of Springfield?) "Oh it sure, it sure does," Mayor Sarno said.

During its "golden age," Springfield was a hub for manufacturing. The city became home to the National Armory back in the 1700's, and more than a century later, the Wason Manufacturing Company. CRRC is a solid step for the city, restoring that reputation.

"They're going to be manufacturing well into 2025 if not longer. They have contracts in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and they continue to pursue contracts all across North America, they're competing in Atlanta, and other places now. So we're very pleased to have them," Mayor Sarno said.

CRRC has an $843-million contract with the MBTA, Boston's Mass Transit Agency.

22News got a look at the first four rail cars that will be shipped to Boston by the end of the year. Each car takes 22-days to make, at a cost of $2.4-million.

Mark Smith is the General Manager at CRRC Springfield's plant. "When you assemble the car it's like a giant jigsaw puzzle, and all of the pieces need to go in the right place and in this case, in the right order."

Smith said once the parts come together, the cars undergo a series of tests on the facility's indoor rail. "When they finish assembling the cars, over here, we're assembling the wheels, we'll take two sets of wheels, place them here, we'll bring the car shell over, set it on top of the wheels, and begin the process of coupling the cars to the wheels, slide it backwards and balance the car, then it will go forward into the water test booth. So this is basically a utility track."

The water test booth simulates inclement weather, another part of the testing process. "It actually simulates almost a category 2. Essentially, we can put a half inch film of water over an entire surface of that car, and if it's going to leak, it leaks," Smith said.

Once the rail cars pass the tests, they'll be loaded onto special trailers and shipped off to Boston.

CRRC won't move on to any other contracts until they've completed the contract for the rest of the MBTA cars, a major milestone for a city, that's determined to rebrand and rebuild one project at a time.

​

CRRC: A look inside of modern day manufacturing | WWLP.com

 

[JSCh]

Tuesday, July 31, 2018, 10:11
Malaysia 'approves' one Singapore rail link, for now
By Bloomberg

This photo taken on May 4, 2018, shows the skyline of the Malaysian city of Johor Bahru as seen across the border from neighbouring Singapore. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)

Malaysia’s new government has called into question the future of multibillion-dollar rail projects since Mahathir Mohamad took power in May. Now it appears to be ready to proceed with at least one.

The Malaysian cabinet has given in-principle approval for a rail project linking Johor Bahru in the southernmost tip of the country with Singapore, Malay Mail Online said in a report citing Transport Minister Anthony Loke. It is still looking at costs and other details.

ALSO READ: Malaysia says to negotiate HSR deferment with Singapore

This project was delayed by two months due to the general elections, which saw Mahathir become prime minister. A known Singapore critic, Mahathir has wanted to cancel a proposed multi-billion dollar high-speed railway connecting the city state to Kuala Lumpur as it was too expensive while saying it may happen in the future.

Mahathir’s stance prompted Singapore’s Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan to tell parliament on July 9 that his government will seek compensation for all costs incurred if Malaysia cancels the 350-kilometer railway link between the two countries.

READ MORE: Scrapping of rail project may hurt Malaysia

For now, it seems to be a go for the 4-kilometer rail line, which will be able to transport 10,000 travelers in one direction every hour between Singapore and Johor Baru. The two neighbors will set up a joint company for the project after the full approval is given by Malaysia.

 

[JSCh]

Chinese firm commences laying of tracks at Kenya's extended SGR
Source: Xinhua | 2018-08-02 18:13:07 | Editor: huaxia

Passengers board a train of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) at the Mombasa Railway Station in Mombasa, Kenya, on June 2, 2018. The Chinese-built Mombasa-Nairobi SGR of some 480 kilometers has attained an occupancy rate of over 95 percent while reducing the time between Kenya's two biggest cities by half to five hours. An estimated 1.3 million Kenyans have commuted between Nairobi and Mombasa by the SGR train since its launch on May 31 last year. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

NAIROBI, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese contractor of the extended Nairobi-Naivasha Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has started laying tracks and rail sleepers as implementation of the mega infrastructure project gathers steam.

According to the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), the laying of tracks and rail sleepers is being carried out from the Rift Valley county of Narok toward the capital of Nairobi.

The 120-km Nairobi-Naivasha line is the first of the three segments that make up the second phase of the SGR project that ends in Malaba town located at the Kenya-Uganda border.

Steve Zhao, the CCCC Kenya SGR Project spokesman, said erection of t-beams and laying of the rail sleepers from Nairobi will be handled by section office number 7 while section office number 6 will oversee a similar process from Narok.

Zhao said construction of the railway stations has been ongoing in Ongata Rongai, Ngong and Suswa towns.

"We are also on course to complete the 4.5-km Ngong tunnel in August, the first and longest railway tunnel in the country," he said. Six percent of the modern railway line will consist of three tunnels measuring 7.147 kilometers and it will also have 27 bridges measuring 17.3 kilometers that will account for 14.4 percent of the total project length.

The five counties where the railway line will pass through include Nairobi, Kajiado, Kiambu, Nakuru and Narok while five modern stations will be installed along its corridor to ease ferrying of cargo and passengers.

Besides Ngong tunnel, two more tunnels measuring 2.64 kilometers have already been constructed along the Nairobi-Naivasha SGR project that is expected to be completed by June 2019.

The Nairobi-Naivasha SGR project will unleash multiple benefits that include revolutionizing transport of passengers and goods alongside stimulating commerce and industrial growth along its corridor.

Establishment of a special economic zone (SEZ) in the Mai Mahiu/Suswa region will be a key component of this modern railway project.

 

[JSCh]

Kazakhstan's first light rail project built by Chinese firms
New China TV
Published on Aug 12, 2018

Kazakhstan's first light rail project is being constructed by a consortium of Chinese companies. It will link Astana's international airport with its new railway station. #BeltandRoad

 

[JSCh]

China Railways takes on rail project connecting Mozambique to Zimbabwe
13 August 2018 | Mozambique

China Railways has proposed the construction of a rail link connecting Mozambique to Zimbabwe via Zambia, a project costing an estimated US$2.5 billion that will give companies in the latter two countries easy access to Mozambique’s ports.

The Trans-Zambezi line project led a delegation from China Railways, headed by Vice President Shao Gang, to contact with the local government in late July along with local partner Global Power Bridge International, according to a report in the Harare press.

The first phase of the project will consist of a 400-kilometre link between Shamva in Zimbabwe and Moatize in Mozambique, from where a 900-kilometre line will reach the port of Nacala (Nacala Logistics Corridor, where coal is transported from the Moatize mine, produced by Brazilian company Vale), a project inaugurated in May 2017 by the President of Mozambique.

The construction of new sections of this line and the reconstruction of others began in 2012 and include a 200-kilometre stretch that runs through neighbouring Malawi.

The China Railways project also involves the construction of a 1,700-kilometre line directly connecting Binga, on Zimbabwean border with Zambia, to the port of Nacala.

China Railways stated its interest in the project in March this year in a letter to the Zimbabwean government signed by Gang Shao, according to the Financial Gazette.

“We have been working closely with Global Power Bridge International to establish the foundations of the rail project and we are ready to start it,” said Shao.

The project also involves China’s New Century Energy International, which has a US$500 million large-scale soybean production project in Zimbabwe.

The president of Mozambique’s port and railway company CFM, a state-owned company that has stakes in all the country’s ports, recently announced that the company intends to invest US$200 million in the modernisation of its rail network over the next three years.

A recent article in China-Lusophone Brief (CLBrief), a news service on China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, suggests Mozambique may have a role to play in the new generation of railways in Africa.

The article notes that the new wave of railway construction pays more attention to the real needs of African countries, such as those being built to connect the ports of Mombasa and Dar-es-Salaam in the Indian Ocean, to countries without direct access to the sea in the Great Lakes region.

Mozambique could be one of the major players in this second railway revolution as, while its railways serve primarily to carry coal, they could also serve to support the growth of cross-border trade.

Railway lines carrying coal from South Africa and Botswana for export may be used to transport other products and the lines that exist in the north-central region of the country may also be used to transport the products that the landlocked countries in the region, such as Malawi and Zimbabwe, need to export.

In addition to the Sena line linking Moatize to the port of Beira, in Sofala province, there is another line that was built in the colonial period linking the port to Zimbabwe, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which although it is in operation as far as Zimbabwe needs a massive investment in order to serve its original purpose. (macauhub)

 

[TaiShang]

Tuesday, July 31, 2018, 10:11
Malaysia 'approves' one Singapore rail link, for now
By Bloomberg

This photo taken on May 4, 2018, shows the skyline of the Malaysian city of Johor Bahru as seen across the border from neighbouring Singapore. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)

Malaysia’s new government has called into question the future of multibillion-dollar rail projects since Mahathir Mohamad took power in May. Now it appears to be ready to proceed with at least one.

The Malaysian cabinet has given in-principle approval for a rail project linking Johor Bahru in the southernmost tip of the country with Singapore, Malay Mail Online said in a report citing Transport Minister Anthony Loke. It is still looking at costs and other details.

ALSO READ: Malaysia says to negotiate HSR deferment with Singapore

This project was delayed by two months due to the general elections, which saw Mahathir become prime minister. A known Singapore critic, Mahathir has wanted to cancel a proposed multi-billion dollar high-speed railway connecting the city state to Kuala Lumpur as it was too expensive while saying it may happen in the future.

Mahathir’s stance prompted Singapore’s Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan to tell parliament on July 9 that his government will seek compensation for all costs incurred if Malaysia cancels the 350-kilometer railway link between the two countries.

READ MORE: Scrapping of rail project may hurt Malaysia

For now, it seems to be a go for the 4-kilometer rail line, which will be able to transport 10,000 travelers in one direction every hour between Singapore and Johor Baru. The two neighbors will set up a joint company for the project after the full approval is given by Malaysia.

Mahathir is coming over China. The fate of other projects will likely be discussed in meetings.