BANGKOK: Malaysia and Thailand have agreed to begin preliminary studies on extending the High Speed Rail link from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan O Cha also agreed to study the possibility of rail connectivity by linking the electrified double track railway between Hatyai-Padang Besar and Padang Besar-between Thailand and Malaysia.

In a bilateral meeting between the two leaders on Friday, the Thai side took note of the proposed High Speed Rail link from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok.

Both leaders agreed for the relevant agencies to begin preliminary discussions at the exploratory level to extend the HSR link from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok.

Najib said this would be an extension to HSR Link between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.