The proposed high speed train project between KL-Singapore had been shelved, though not indefinitely I believe. Number of reasons behind this decision. According to the press, it's too deep for the govt's pocket. This new mode of transport could cut railway travelling time between KL and Singapore to just 90 minutes. But it would cost a bomb and it is uncertain whether there will be enough passengers to use it. Plus, I'm sure there's plenty of political reasons behind it.
I wonder how our Bullet Train would look like? I think instead of building new infrastructure, they could use the Subang Airport as a gateway for the SG-KL route. This is much cheaper and perhaps if we can fly out from Subang, it could match the total travelling time with the bullet train. In other words, the current transport infrastructure is sufficient to serve both country's requirement. Alternatively, I feel we should link up with Indonesia instead. That's where the future market is. With Indonesia's huge population and growth potential, there would be plenty of trade opportunities. We should build bridges and tunnels to connect both countries.
YTL's MD, Francis Yeoh said in the AFP that this new rail link could save government tens of billions of ringgit in fuel subsidies in the long run. This suggest that the track will be electrify and he hopes to capture passengers who are road users. If this is what he stands for, I have a better option for him. He is harping on reducing gov't fuel subsidies. He intend to reduce the number of private vehicles on the road which will lead to lower fuel consumption and carbon emission. My question is why limit to south bound road users? By introducing the train, we will only remove private vehicle that travels between this two destinations. From the total number of South bound commuters, how many are actually directly driving to Singapore?
If he really wants to help gov't to reduce fuel subsidies he could do this via Teleworking. Being a corporate body, YTL can work together with the government and be the champion of Teleworking. YTL is one of the 4 Wimax operators in the country and they can really capitalise on this technology via Teleworking solutions. If they do this properly, we can see drastic reduction of road vehicles as people only meet up at their work place when necessary. They can hold meetings and discussions from their home using broadband. Teleworking is seen as a solution for traffic congestion. Imagine the amount of carbon emission that we can save? People say this is a cultural thing as many don't really fancy the idea of working from home. That is why it is even more important for gov't or corporate figures to take the lead and adopt this concept. It requires strong political and cultural will for this concept to take off.
Fiber strands that connects the world....
So do we really need high speed train to Singapore? Personally, the answer would be yes if I want to go shopping. I'm sure they don't have baggage limit like they have in the airline industry. But for normal or social commuters, current transportation is adequate. As for business travellers, flying seems to be the best choice. But if we really think about it, do we really need to travel when we are so connected in the cyberworld? I think there's alot broadband can offer than just being a place for web browsing. With enough bandwidth, hyper connectivity can make the world truely a global production floor with everyone acting in unison.
p/s: I don't want bullet train to Singapore because people will not stop over at Kluang Station and have kopi and roti bakar...Yumm Yummm
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