Malaysia's plan to revive the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) by relying on private sector financing is unlikely to succeed, as bidders for the project are requesting government funding. Seven local and international consortia submitted their concept proposals, but their names were not disclosed. The Malaysian government wanted to assess the private sector's ability to finance the project without state funds or guarantees.
Japanese companies, including East Japan Railway Company, withdrew from the project, citing the lack of government financial support as too risky