China stresses technical advantages, safety in bid for Malaysia-Singapore high-speed railway

KUALA LUMPUR -- China has unique advantages in technology and safety as its companies eye participation of the proposed high-speed railway linking Malaysia and Singapore, a top railway official said here Tuesday.

Sheng Guangzu, general manager of the China Railway Corp., said China hopes to strengthen cooperation with Malaysia in the railway sector, especially the high-speed rail project between the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Sheng is leading a delegation comprising representatives of the leading players in China high-speed railway sector to Malaysia. He said he would introduce China's experience in railways.

He brushed off concerns over the safety on China's high-speed railways, citing a research by International Union of Railways (UIC) that put China's railways with one of the best safety track records worldwide.

He told reporters that China has attached great importance to safety. "Safety is not only the core, but also the very foundation of any railways," he said.

China has employed a series of measures to ensure safety, according to Sheng. Every line would have to go through systematic examination on quality before being put into use; comprehensive inspection would be conducted regularly on the quality of the railway, power supply, train controls, among others; safety trains would check the lines everyday before operations start.

The 350 km Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed railway would cut the travel time between the Malaysian capital city and the city-state to 90 minutes. The two governments are expected to ink an agreement on the project by the end of the year before an open tender takes place. Railway companies in China and other major countries in the areas have expressed interest in the project.