KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Tuesday that the land acquisition process has started for the high-speed rail project linking Kuala Lumpur with Singapore, paving the way for the bidding process to begin by the end of the year.

The 350-kilometer-long infrastructure project is expected to attract international bidders for the first cross-border high-speed rail line in Southeast Asia, which the governments of Malaysia and Singapore agreed last December to build. The rail line and related projects have an estimated cost of 60 billion ringgit ($14.2 billion).

Najib said MyHSR Corp., the Malaysian state-owned company in charge of the project, has started submitting applications to local state authorities to freeze land along the proposed track, a necessary process before the rail's final alignment is determined.

The government said it is committed to begin construction by the end of next year as originally planned. So far, authorities from both countries have conducted industrial briefings for potential bidders of the project.

When the rail line is completed in 2026, it will take just 90 minutes to travel from Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, to Singapore, a journey that normally takes about four hours by car. The line will include seven stops in Malaysia: Bandar Malaysia, Putrajaya, Seremban, Melaka, Muar, Batu Pahat and Iskandar Puteri.

On Tuesday, MyHSR also unveiled the design concept for each of the seven stations, which will take into consideration Malaysia's heritage and cultural identity. It will also conduct public inspection beginning Nov. 1 to gather feedback from the public on the rail's alignment and the development plans for each stop.

The Malaysian government hopes that each station along the line will spur economic development in those areas, bridging the divide between urban areas, the suburbs and rural districts.

"The high-speed rail is a symbol of how far we intend to bring Malaysia forward," Najib said at the event in Kuala Lumpur, where MyHSR unveiled its design concepts.

Several companies have expressed interest in bidding for the various projects. Malaysia's MMC Corp. has said it will be partnering with a Japanese consortium in a bid to provide mechanical and engineering solutions. Another Malaysian company, George Kent, has teamed up with Siemens Group, with an eye on bidding for engineering, procurement and construction projects for the line.

Chinese state-owned companies have also expressed their intention to offer expertise for the rail project. China Railway Engineering Corp., which is currently constructing the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail in Indonesia, said in June that it was confident of delivering on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore rail project based on its experience in railway construction.