Menteri Besar Hasni Mohammad said the termination of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR project, announced yesterday, provided an opportunity for the federal government to re-evaluate the return on investment to the government.

He is confident the government has a better plan in mind. Since more than 300km of the proposed HSR alignment was in Johor, the state would benefit directly from it, he added.

“Among the things we in Johor hope is that the HSR project would proceed even if it does not include Singapore. I believe it can give direct returns to the economy of the country and Johor.”

He noted that the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Iskandar Puteri was also being reviewed to see whether the light rail transit (LRT) service could replace it to complement the rail communication system in Johor.

He said the state government had not ruled out Singapore’s participation in the investment aspect even though the new alignment will not involve the republic.

After all, he said, the HSR will also benefit Singaporeans who are in Malaysia.

The Benut assemblyman also hoped the state government would be allowed to participate in any new HSR discussions.

Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mustapa Mohamed said a detailed study would be conducted on a domestic HSR project, including its feasibility and benefits.