In ten years, we’ll be able to have breakfast at home and catch the train to Kuala Lumpur just in time for lunch, thanks to the much-awaited High Speed Rail between Singapore and KL. Operations for the express service are targeted to commence around 2026, and the trains will run at a speed of more than 300km/h, reducing the travel time between both cities from four to five hours by car to 90 minutes.
A total of eight stations will be built, with two terminal stations: One at Jurong East in Singapore, where Jurong Country Club is currently located, and the other at Bandar Malaysia in KL. The other six are all in Malaysia, and include Iskandar Puteri, Batu Pahat, Muar, Ayer Keroh, Seremban and Putrajaya.
When the rail is completed, there will be less hassle for passengers, as they can clear customs, immigration and quarantine for both countries at the point of departure. Three locations allow for this — Singapore, Iskandar Puteri and Kuala Lumpur.
Today, in Putrajaya, our Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, bringing both countries one step closer to planning and constructing the rail link. Several details have yet to be settled, but PM Lee assured the public that both governments are in agreement in regards to the important issues, said The Straits Times.
Singapore and Malaysia will take charge of developing, constructing and maintaining their own infrastructure and stations, with the Land Transport Authority and MyHSR Corporation overseeing the project in the respective countries.
This long-term investment is ambitious, to say the least, as MRT lines in Singapore usually take 12 to 15 years to go from inception to service, and the track of the High Speed Rail will span a whopping 350km.
