Malaysia-Singapore high-speed rail link planned

Malaysian PM Najib Razak at a news conference Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong (R) in Singapore on 19 February 2013
The move was announced as Singaporean and Malaysian PMs held talks

Singapore and Malaysia have announced plans for a high-speed rail link, with a target completion date of 2020.

The link would reduce travel time between Singapore and the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, to 90 minutes.

Leaders of the two nations said that the move would boost business ties and increase trade.

No cost was given for the project, to be built by private companies. A joint committee would start looking at the details, a joint statement said.

The move came as Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak met in Singapore for talks.

The rail link was a "strategic development in bilateral relations that will dramatically improve" connectivity, the joint statement said.

"Ultimately, this project will give both countries greater stakes in each other's prosperity and success."

Trains currently take about six hours to make the 300km (190 miles) journey between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. By road, the journey takes about four hours.