Tan Kin Lian - Perspectives High speed rail between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur
The Malaysian government will decide, towards the end of 2024, whether to accept a proposal from private investors to build the High Speed Rail between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. They will then discuss with the Singapore government to partner on this project.

Several analysts have commented that there is insufficient traffic for the HSR project to be viable. The government will have to fund the project in some ways.

One possible way is to offer land to the private investors near the stations for their development.

The bigger hurdle is the partnership between the two governments. They will find it difficult to agree on the operation of the HSR service for the smaller towns between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The development of these towns is important to Malaysia, but is likely to result in a loss for the HSR operation.

I can think of two approaches to deal with this issue:

1) One approach is for Malaysia to take care of the operations between Johor and Kuala Lumpur. Singapore takes care of the operation from Singapore to Johor.

2) Another approach is for Singapore and Malaysia to jointly own the direct service between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia will own the operation for the service to serve the smaller towns along the route.

I hope that the two governments will find one of the two approaches to be workable, and that the HSR will proceed.

Tan Kin Lian

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