The postponement of the signing of the bilateral agreement between Malaysia and Singapore for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project will not affect its implementation.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan said the agreement was originally scheduled to be signed on Dec 5, but after a meeting, Singapore's Minister of Transport, Khaw Boon Wan, informed that they need a little time.

In a statement issued today, Rahman said that the agreement would be signed on Dec 21.

"It is only two weeks overdue and within the timeframe set," the Umno supreme council member told Bernama and RTM on the sidelines of Umno general assembly 2016 at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur today.

The 350-kilometre railway line will cut travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to just 90 minutes.

The HSR terminal in Singapore is located at Jurong East while Malaysia will have seven stations at Bandar Malaysia, Putrajaya, Seremban, Ayer Keroh, Muar, Batu Pahat and Iskandar Puteri.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the HSR project in Putrajaya on July 19.

The HSR projec,t which is funded jointly by the two countries, is expected to begin construction next year and expected to be operational in 2026.

- Bernama