KL-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) to start 2016

The construction of the high-speed rail (HSR) link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore is expected to start in 2016, The Star reports today Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar told the English daily seven stations have been identified – Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Seremban, Ayer Keroh, Muar, Batu Pahat and Nusajaya. Once completed, travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore is expected to take some 90 minutes. At present, it takes up to eight hours by train between the two cities, around five hours by bus and car, and 45 minutes by flight. The Star added that the HSR may start off with four trains on its tracks and is estimated to cost RM38.4 billion to build. The report said Japan, which introduced the bullet train or Shinkansen in 1964, was one of many countries that have stepped up to bid for what will be Asean’s first high-speed train. It said that East Japan Railway Company (JR East), banking on its impeccable safety record, was eyeing to bring its technology to Malaysia. “Japan can offer the safety and reliability of the Shinkansen, and we can share experiences learned during its 50 years of service,” JR East International Department general manager Takeshi Tsuyoshi was quoted as saying. The Tokyo station serves some 15 Shinkansen train sets each hour during peak times. Each train set is capable of shuttling 700 to 1,634 passengers, many times the capacity of the electric train service. The average Shinkansen speed is about 240kph (on certain lines), with top speeds up to 320kph. The HSR project is one of the entry point projects listed under the Economic Transformation Programme aimed at improving the economic dynamism of Malaysia’s capital city and liveability ranking relative to other global cities. It was reported in October that the project’s feasibility study, carried out by SPAD, had been submitted to the Malaysian and Singaporean governments and a meeting between the two governments would be held early next year to finalise the details. It said then that construction would likely begin in the third quarter of next year with the timeline to complete the project expected by 2020. – December 27, 2014. - See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/kl-singapore-high-speed-rail-project-to-start-in-2016