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High speed rail link between Singapore & KL ?

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  • High speed rail link between Singapore & KL ?

    MANFlyer
    High speed rail link between Singapore & KL ?
    « Thread started on: Jul 9th, 2006, 01:01am »
    Interesting idea, but if they can't agree over that bloody bridge, this will take some doing...

    KUALA LUMPUR: Imagine zipping in a bullet train from the KL Sentral station into the heart of Singapore in 90 minutes flat. That is something that will become a reality if tycoon Tan Sri Francis Yeoh’s plan to build and operate such a train service at a cost of up to RM8 billion takes off.
    Yeoh told the New Straits Times that the Malaysian and Singapore Governments had been informed of the proposal by YTL Corp for the fast
    train service.

    If approved, the project will become the largest to be launched on a private finance initiative (PFI) basis, as encouraged under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

    Construction will take three years but it could be two years before cross-border approvals and land acquisition are obtained.

    Yeoh said that if the project is approved, YTL would go to the global capital market to raise the needed funds to finance it. Partners providing the rail and train technology for the project could be either Japanese, French or German operators of fast train services.

    "Every single fund manager loves this project and a lot of consumers want it. The industries want it. It’s a no-brainer. It’s the perfect alternative to air and land transport between the two hubs and will integrate them," he said.

    "This is not a dream and a project that can’t be done. It can be done if there is a will to do it. And I pray that there will be this will to do it," he said.

    "It will help move the economy ahead. The country now needs the boost of fresh private sector investment and we can do that with projects like this."

    Yeoh said the KL-Singapore fast rail link could be an extension of the Sentral-Kuala Lumpur International Airport train service that is currently operated by YTL majority-owned ExpressRail Link (ERL).

    The ERL was built at a cheap cost of RM35 million per kilometre compared to other train projects in the developed world built at between RM120-RM150 million per kilometre. The ERL project received no government subsidies.

    "We can extend the airport line to Singapore. We can also find ways for the rail link to pass through the newly developing southern Johor Corridor enroute to Singapore," he added.

    Under the YTL proposal, a new standard gauge railway line would have to be built across the southern states to accommodate trains with wider wheels that can travel at a speed of up to 350km per hour.

    The metre-gauge railway lines currently used by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) can only accommodate trains with a smaller wheel size and a maximum speed of 140 km per hour.

    Yeoh said the timing was just right for the launch of the project now as the Malaysian Government was keen on it and the cost of land acquisition to build the rail connection was relatively cheap.

    Land cost usually accounts for 70 per cent of the cost of such rail projects while the cost for the technology accounts for 30 per cent.

    "It is the land value that is important. The land cost is still affordable now in Malaysia, unlike in Hong Kong, the US or Europe."

    Yeoh said Singapore has also had a look at the project.

    "I don’t think they will be that difficult. We have been chatting with them for quite a while now."

    Yeoh said he was ready to accept Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines as well as the airport operators of both cities as "cornerstone investors" in the project to ensure relevant entities from both sides had a stake in the project.

    The direct rail link will provide commuters with an alternative to expensive air travel and the slower journey by car or bus.

    shortfinals
    « Reply #1 on: Jul 9th, 2006, 11:13am »
    Woohoo!
    I could go for a do, and be home in time for CSI sundays!

    Savage25
    « Reply #2 on: Jul 9th, 2006, 10:55pm »
    Think this will cause the SIN-KUL F fares to fall?

    shortfinals
    « Reply #3 on: Jul 10th, 2006, 09:41am »
    on Jul 9th, 2006, 10:55pm, Savage25 wrote:
    Think this will cause the SIN-KUL F fares to fall?

    I think ALL fares will fall. not just F. I'll tell you what, even though I love getting on planes, a 90 minute zip through the malaysian countryside sounds tempting, and will LIKELY be my preferred choice for getting to singapore if that is my final destination. If I'm connecting to a golden bird service it may be somewhat different

    MANFlyer
    « Reply #4 on: Jul 10th, 2006, 4:38pm »
    on Jul 10th, 2006, 09:41am, shortfinals wrote:
    I think ALL fares will fall. not just F. I'll tell you what, even though I love getting on planes, a 90 minute zip through the malaysian countryside sounds tempting, and will LIKELY be my preferred choice for getting to singapore if that is my final destination. If I'm connecting to a golden bird service it may be somewhat different

    I agree, it will definitely be worth giving it a go. I think it could well stop at (or at least pass) KLIA but can't see it going to Changi.
    I also think the two Governments will start to come under increasing pressure to allow LCC's to operate on the Shuttle route between the two airports.

    MovieMan
    « Reply #5 on: Jul 13th, 2006, 12:32am »
    on Jul 10th, 2006, 4:38pm, MANFlyer wrote:
    I agree, it will definitely be worth giving it a go. I think it could well stop at (or at least pass) KLIA but can't see it going to Changi.
    I also think the two Governments will start to come under increasing pressure to allow LCC's to operate on the Shuttle route between the two airports.

    That'll be great. Too bad when this finally comes into operation my days of frequent SIN-KUL-SIN runs will be long gone.
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