Monocle
Malaysia/Singapore: On the rails
Malaysia & Singapore
June 2007
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It's been talked about for over a decade, but now plans for a high-speed rail link between Malaysia and singapore are gathering sepped once again.
Rail operator Express Rail Link's €1.8bn proposal is to extend its current 57km high-speed line between Kuala Lumpur and its international airport another 290km south toSingapore. It has the support of train makers Alstom Transport which built the Eurostar and Korea's KTX. Alstom Transport is "very interested" in the plan, says company president Philippe Mellier. The scheme has also gone down well with Malaysia's government.
Singapore's initial response earlier this year was polite but hardly enthusiastic. A passionate rivalry born of Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia in 1965 often trumps cooperation. They still wrangel over ownership of the railway and its woebegone but charming terminus in Singapore. Years of talks about replacing the traffic-clogged 80-year-old causeway between the two countries have gone nowhere. However, in May the signals moved from red to amber.
Singapore decided to back Malaysia's Iskander Development Region in Johor Bahru, gateway to the causeway. The area is three times larger than Singapore and has already been earmarked for fast-track industrialisation.
This, combined with the election on the horizon in the next few years in Malaysia, raises hope for a deal on Express Rail's proposal that would run through Iskander and will need a bridge built to reach Singapore.
There would be strong demand for the service. Airlines currently charge around €100 for the 55-minute trip, against at least seven hours by train. Express Rail reckons on a 90-minute journey time and a friendly price.
A green signal for high-speed rail would be more than a victory for convenience and the environment, it would signal a new era in relations.
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