Malaysia may drop High Speed Rail project with Singapore

[Complexkid]

 

 

“Travel time can potentially be reduced,” said a consultant.

[ wah, they really change tune now. Now normal rail system speed not very worse off compared to HSR!]

 

 

Dr Mahathir had said that the distance between Malaysia and Singapore is short at only 350km and if the existing railway infrastructure is upgraded, it can improve travel time significantly.

[ 350km is something like the line in Taiwan and they had it since the 1990s ]

 

damm ....

 

 

[Yewheng]

 

not so high speed.

 

 

 

Somewhat I think that Tun M maybe really reading Mcf also.. Few wks back we talked about using existing railway to upgrade to medium speed rail.. And now this news article come out.. Haha

[Wt_know]

Somewhat I think that Tun M maybe really reading Mcf also.. Few wks back we talked about using existing railway to upgrade to medium speed rail.. And now this news article come out.. Haha

no la. the first press conference when he open mouth to cancel HSR

he already said upgrade existing railway is better choice

he said

1. hsr is too costly

2. hsr is not economical viable

3. train track is too short

4. 90mins travel no big deal. 120-150mins can do

5. just need to align tracks and upgrade train

 

lastly, he said HSR is simply ahjib kor project to cover 1mdb ... same goes to ECRL

Edited June 19, 2018 by Wt_know

[Jman888]

in short HSR is future prove and cheaper alternative is temporary like upgrading ram and SSD on an Pentium pc, speed up a bit but there is a ceiling 

Cheaper alternative to KL-S’pore High-Speed Rail feasible, but may be shortsighted: Experts  

By KENNETH CHENG

Published18 JUNE, 2018 UPDATED 19 JUNE, 2018

 

SINGAPORE — Even if the authorities upgrade Malaysia’s Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) railway infrastructure as a cheaper alternative to the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail project, it may still take time and need substantial work, experts said.

 

And the move may turn out to be penny wise and pound foolish further down the road, with Singapore and Malaysia left behind while other countries pursue a regional high-speed rail network. 

 

Their comments came after Malaysian news agency The Star reported on Monday (June 18) that the option of rejuvenating the KTM was brought to the attention of Malaysia’s Council of Eminent Persons — an advisory body recently formed by Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.

 

This alternative plan would cost about 70 per cent less than the proposed high-speed rail service. It will also stave off the need for the Malaysian government to pay RM500 million (S$170 million) in compensation to its Singaporean counterparts, because it will not have to “renegotiate with Singapore, since the plans that have been put in place by (Singapore’s) authorities will not be disrupted”, The Star reported.

 

Shortly after the Malaysian general election last month, Dr Mahathir, who is leading the new government, announced that he was dropping the high-speed rail project to rein in the country’s spiralling debt.

 

The latest proposal, which will cost RM20 billion compared with the RM60 to RM70 billion bill for the high-speed rail, involves adding a single rail line next to the KTM’s existing double track, allowing it to cater for “standard-gauge” trains, The Star reported.

 

Standard-gauge tracks, which are wider than the KTM’s meter-gauge ones, allow trains to travel faster at about 200km/h, though it will still be slower than trains on the proposed high-speed rail link, which can run at 320km/h.

 

This means that journeys between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore will take slightly more than two hours instead of 90 minutes on the proposed high-speed rail.

 

Unnamed sources familiar with the proposal told The Star that there would be “minimal land acquisition (and) disruption to the existing system” should the authorities upgrade the KTM tracks.

 

Responding to the news, analysts contacted by TODAY said that this is not a straightforward process, and considerable work has to be done, such as flattening curves along tracks and developing land along certain areas.

 

Mr Phillip Peachey, engineering director with rail solutions provider Asia Rail Engineering, said: “Inevitably, where the existing route lies, I suspect that the curves are going to have to be flattened out a lot to allow the increase in speed.”

 

Curves along rail lines slow trains down, he explained, and this entails building extra stretches of railway tracks to reduce the sharp curves, so that trains go across the bends instead of around them.

 

In connection with this, the ground beneath the tracks will need stabilisation and new drainage systems. “It’s still a costly and long-winded process, (and) it will never take the place of a high-speed route,” Mr Peachey said.

 

There is also the long-drawn process of returning to the drawing board. “There are going to be certain areas where you are going to have to develop a whole area of land that is not directly adjacent to the existing (infrastructure)… It’s going to be some metres away. So, it’s almost like starting from scratch again,” he added.

 

His estimation is that such a massive revamp would take five years.

 

The proposed Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail was to have been up and running by the end of 2026, with the service terminating at the Jurong East terminus in Singapore.

 

Still, Mr Peachey said that a 130-minute journey on a refreshed KTM network would be viable for businessmen, if the trains plying between the two cities are well-equipped, with tables to allow commuters to work during the ride, for instance.

 

The present KTM train system, which links Singapore to Malaysian cities such as Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur, begins and ends at the Woodlands Train Checkpoint here.

 

Transport economist Walter Theseira from the Singapore University of Social Sciences noted that the checkpoint does not provide convenient connections to Singapore’s public transport system.

 

If Singapore considers the proposal, it would have to study where the terminal should be, with better links to public transport and the city centre here.

 

“Otherwise, you would get here very quickly, and… still have to go through a fairly lengthy connection to the rest of the system in Singapore,” Dr Theseira said.

 

“It’s not as simple as upgrading the tracks. It will require completely redesigning and thinking about how we connect the KTM system to our city centre.”

 

He did say, though, that the service could still be acceptable when measured against catching a one-hour flight to Kuala Lumpur.

 

The trains would terminate at Kuala Lumpur Sentral station in the heart of the city, whereas air travel to the Malaysian capital is presently “much less competitive” because Kuala Lumpur International Airport, which is some distance from town, is inconvenient for travellers, he noted.

 

This also hinges on having a terminal at Singapore’s side that is near a public transport hub, and that the rail link is reliable. “If you have neither the speed nor the reliability, you run the real risk of ending up with a white elephant,” he added.

 

In the longer term, Dr Theseira foresees that many countries in the Association of South-east Asian Nations will likely benefit from an integrated high-speed rail system throughout the region in two or three decades.

 

When that happens, Singapore and Malaysia could be left behind if there is no network to match that. “By building a system now that is not going to be interoperable with a true high-speed rail system, we may put ourselves in the unfortunate position of, in 20 years’ time, having to reinvest in a high-speed rail,” he said.

 

Earlier this month, Singapore’s Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said that the country had asked the Malaysian government via diplomatic channels to clarify its position on the high-speed rail project.

 

TODAY understands that the Singapore authorities are still awaiting word on the matter.

 

Mr Khaw said then that the Government had informed Malaysia that Singapore is continuing to incur costs on the high-speed rail project as it awaits clarification, and should the project be terminated, Malaysia may have to pay compensation, as stated in the bilateral agreement.

 

The two sides signed the agreement in 2016. Malaysia was then under former prime minister Najib Razak’s Barisan Nasional government, which was ousted by the Dr Mahathir-led Pakatan Harapan coalition at the May 9 general election.

 

 

 

[BenTong]

Medium Speed Rail. (MSR) or maybe Mahathere Speed Rail ( with crooked bridge)

[Ben5266]

Medium Speed Rail. (MSR) or maybe Mahathere Speed Rail ( with crooked bridge) and ends in Changi T5!

[Wt_know]

in short HSR is future prove and cheaper alternative is temporary like upgrading ram and SSD on an Pentium pc, speed up a bit but there is a ceiling

 

 

 

bro, if money is not a problem, there is no problem liao

here money no enough, just raise GST

there, implement GST only kena kicked out from govt liao

 

joke aside ... we all have experience of doing a project right

even though the project is good and make sense

but if “timing” is no good (some more worst) also cannot right

Edited June 19, 2018 by Wt_know

[kennyyy]

Heng ah!

We all live in Singapore and lead by a pure and honest govt.

 

... but I have no money to renew my COE . :(

 

Pure and Honest govt? Reallty? ,, haha ,, 

[inlinesix]

Large infrastructure projects that cannot continue without raising taxes may be going a little too far. Why not sell railway bonds ? Or airport bonds ?

 

At the end of the day, guarantor has to service the loan as the project is self-sustaining.

[Throttle2]

Ridiculous

 

To me it has alwys been a security issue.

 

Why would we need especially a HSR to come deep into Singapore ?

 

No amount of economic return is worth that.

[inlinesix]

Ridiculous

 

To me it has alwys been a security issue.

 

Why would we need especially a HSR to come deep into Singapore ?

 

No amount of economic return is worth that.

 

All flights to the west will fly through CBD.

 

Is that a security issue?

[Lightbringer]

All flights to the west will fly through CBD.

 

Is that a security issue?

 

Can you get off a plane mid-journey as easily as you can on a train travelling through an urban environment?

 

Do exercise some critical thinking before making asinine suggestions, pls. 

[inlinesix]

Can you get off a plane mid-journey as easily as you can on a train travelling through an urban environment?

 

Do exercise some critical thinking before making asinine suggestions, pls.

U mean passenger can get on HSR when it is traveling into CBD

[Kusje]

Can you get off a plane mid-journey as easily as you can on a train travelling through an urban environment?

 

Do exercise some critical thinking before making asinine suggestions, pls.

Did he edit his post? I don't see any suggestions.

[Throttle2]

See, i told you HSR wont be the only thing Dr M will prevent, one by one lai liao lor......

 

Now on water.

But i do agree, 3sens for a thousand gallons is daylight robbery lah.

 

1960s till now, inflation at least chow chow also 20-30x or more

Pay people 30sens lah, have a bit of class sometimes even when others dont.

 

Muayhahahahahahahaah

All flights to the west will fly through CBD.

 

Is that a security issue?

Flights over airspace is ALWAYS security issue thats why the heavy protocols to manage risks.

And therefore a train on land into Singapore is also, and much worse at that.

Edited June 25, 2018 by Throttle2

[Watwheels]

Why can't ppl see that whatever the idiot says regarding Singapore it's just a distraction? These fools have yet to prove themselves as an effective M'sia govt. The talk about HSR is alot but they have yet to sent an official statement to Singapore. They just keep talking only, no action. Why? Obviously they are buying time to go into the details on the penalty and thinking of how to get around it. They cannot talk their way out of it. Have to come up with a concrete solution. Singapore will not pay attention on what they say until they have receive a notification from them. In the mean while it's just talk c0ck sing song LP song.

[Jman888]

getting interesting    

 

Dr M denies Vincent Tan prompted rethink of ECRL cancellation

Syed Jaymal Zahiid  Malay Mail  25 June 2018

 

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad holds a press conference at Menara Yayasan Selangor in Petaling Jaya June 25, 2018. — Picture by Azneal Ishak

 

 

PETALING JAYA, June 25 — Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad denied today claims that his government had decided against scrapping the East Coast Rail Line project because his friend Tan Sri Vincent Tan has a stake in it.

 

Dr Mahathir said he has no knowledge of Tan’s involvement, and maintained that the decision to keep the project going for now was purely a fiscal policy decision.

 

“I don’t know about it maybe you should ask him,” he replied when asked about the matter at a press conference here.

 

This morning, The Edge reported T7 Global Bhd saw its share price surge by as much as 34.5 per cent in early trading amid news reports that the controversial East Coast Railway Line (ECRL) project could avoid the axe under the new government.

 

The stock hit an intraday high of 56.5 sen in early trade, before ending the morning session at 51.5 sen, up 22.62 per cent or 9.5 sen, with 23.83 million shares exchanging hands.

 

Tan, the Berjaya Group owner who made his fortune mostly under Dr Mahathir’s tenure as prime minister, was reported to be a substantial shareholder of T7 Global, with the acquisition of 21 million shares or a 5.04 per cent stake.

 

The newly elected Pakatan Harapan (PH) government had initially said it would scrap the ECRL among other “mega-projects” that had been placed under review as part of efforts to rein in a staggering federal debt.

 

But in recent weeks, coalition leaders changed their tone and Minister of Finance, Lim Guan Eng, said they would review the rail link project instead.

 

Among the major reasons for the change in policy was the costly compensation that would have to be paid to cancel the ongoing project, now already at 20 per cent completion.

 

Today, Dr Mahathir said the project could have a positive impact but said the terms of its contracts must be renegotiated to bring down costs.

 

“All these terms need to be renegotiated, and if we get better terms, of course, we will continue but we hope to reduce costs a lot because a lot of wrong things are being done,” he said.

 

“For example, borrowing RM55 billion from China; we don’t think it should cost that much.

 

“Also, the condition that the Chinese company can use its own workers and buy everything from there. So, what is there for Malaysia? We want to gain something for Malaysia.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jamesc]

Aiyah if only Vincent got the HSR project.