China vies for high-speed railway project in Malaysia

[TaiShang]

China vies for high-speed railway project in Malaysia
By Chen Xia
China.org.cn, May 24, 2016

Sheng Guangzu, CRC general manager, heads up the Chinese railway delegation to Malaysia. [File photo]

A delegation of major Chinese railway companies began a visit to Malaysia on Monday in a bid to win a multi-billion-dollar high speed railway project.

The Kuala Lumpur–Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project has attracted great attention from Chinese companies.

The delegation visiting Malaysia is composed of representatives from China Railway Corporation (CRC), China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC), China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), China Railway Signal & Communication Corporation (CRSC) and several financial institutions.

Their competitors are from Japan, South Korea and Europe.

The bidding result remains unknown, but Chinese companies have been competitive, said an anonymous person from CRC. The Chinese companies have shown a strong ability to control costs while building China’s gigantic railway network and have proposed an appealing funding plan for the HSR project.

Due to a deficiency of money, funding capability has become a major factor in the bidding.

Connecting Kuala Lumpur with Singapore, the HSR rail is designed to extend 356.1 kilometers and will cost about 74.5 billion yuan (US$11.37 billion). According to the latest announcement from the Malaysian authorities, the project will start in 2017 and be completed by 2020.

 

[ahojunk]

China Railway system ‘safest in the world’
BY HO WAH FOON

KUALA LUMPUR: The rail system developed by China is internationally recognised as the safest in the world, said general manager of China Railway Sheng Guangzu.

“Our rail system is safe and reliable ... according to the UIC (International Union of Railways) based in France, China’s accident per one billion kilometre is the lowest in the world,” he said after meeting with local Chinese community leaders here.

The UIC is an international rail transport body that sets new world standards for railways, its safety and security.

Sheng is leading a delegation of China’s rail leaders and experts to visit leaders of Malaysia and Singapore to promote China rail system ahead of the launch of the open tender for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail.

Malaysia and Singapore will sign an MoU on the project next month.

Sheng will be meeting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today before heading off to Singapore.

He had held meetings with various Malaysian Cabinet ministers and officials linked to the HSR project yesterday.

This is the first time a high-ranking official of China Railway, which is the central regulator of China railways, openly replied to concerns over the safety issue of China high-speed rail.

Crowded by waiting reporters, Sheng said in Mandarin: “I will update your Prime Minister on the most recent developments in China’s railway system.

“We hope via our technology, experience and superiority in cost advantage, we can win in our bid for the HSR project.”

Sharing some details on China’s rail safety control, he said there would be a test run every day before the daily services were launched.

There would also be a complete check of the system every 10 days, he said.

 

[TaiShang]

Sharing some details on China’s rail safety control, he said there would be a test run every day before the daily services were launched.

There would also be a complete check of the system every 10 days, he said.

That's sort of overdoing safety. But not bad. Better than under-doing.

 

[yantong1980]

Malaysian need for speed, good news!