It may look like a rather seductive deal on the surface, but if you
scratch just below that, you will find what is a minefield of issues
which have to be dealt with, before one can even decide to have a
high-speed rail (HSR) link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
![YTL group managing director Francis Yeoh]()
The top issue of this is the cost.
In 2006, one businessman, Francis Yeoh (right) of YTL fame, estimated that it would cost about RM8 billion before land costs. But now it could cost as much as RM80 billion, if feasibility studies done elsewhere are an indication.
A 2011 project of a similar length in Australia, costs between RM50 billion and RM80 billion before the cost of trains, one study showed. According to one news report, the cost of constructing such a link between Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru was estimated at RM40 billion.
And just because the prime ministers of Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to build it by 2020, it does not mean that it will necessarily happen, or that it will be the best thing for both countries – the main obstacle being the huge cost – and yes, there are dubious, but much touted benefits.
It is no accident that very few cities around the world are connected by HSR links. There is none in the United States, for instance.
![lion head]()
But
yes, the stories about it are like fairy tales (or is it science
fiction?). Imagine, you are in KL and suddenly you have to go to
Singapore, so you hop on a train from the centre of Malaysia’s capital
and presto, you are there in Singapore in a mere 90 minutes.
The more fanciful stories talk about boarding a train in Kuala Lumpur in the morning, concluding a deal by afternoon, relaxing with champagne on ice in one of Singapore’s many trendy bars and getting back home in time for dinner with their wife and kids.
Will it transform the way we do business? Will it bring prosperity to both countries, and will it even improve the connectivity between both countries? And how will it increase the property prices, and even if it does, is it something we want? Ask the Singaporeans who know a thing or two about having properties go beyond their reach. Proponents are notoriously short on the precise methods of how the transformation will take place.
Read More / Baca Lagi >>
The top issue of this is the cost.
In 2006, one businessman, Francis Yeoh (right) of YTL fame, estimated that it would cost about RM8 billion before land costs. But now it could cost as much as RM80 billion, if feasibility studies done elsewhere are an indication.
A 2011 project of a similar length in Australia, costs between RM50 billion and RM80 billion before the cost of trains, one study showed. According to one news report, the cost of constructing such a link between Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru was estimated at RM40 billion.
And just because the prime ministers of Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to build it by 2020, it does not mean that it will necessarily happen, or that it will be the best thing for both countries – the main obstacle being the huge cost – and yes, there are dubious, but much touted benefits.
It is no accident that very few cities around the world are connected by HSR links. There is none in the United States, for instance.
But
yes, the stories about it are like fairy tales (or is it science
fiction?). Imagine, you are in KL and suddenly you have to go to
Singapore, so you hop on a train from the centre of Malaysia’s capital
and presto, you are there in Singapore in a mere 90 minutes.The more fanciful stories talk about boarding a train in Kuala Lumpur in the morning, concluding a deal by afternoon, relaxing with champagne on ice in one of Singapore’s many trendy bars and getting back home in time for dinner with their wife and kids.
Will it transform the way we do business? Will it bring prosperity to both countries, and will it even improve the connectivity between both countries? And how will it increase the property prices, and even if it does, is it something we want? Ask the Singaporeans who know a thing or two about having properties go beyond their reach. Proponents are notoriously short on the precise methods of how the transformation will take place.
Read More / Baca Lagi >>