Impact of the KL-Singapore high-speed rail
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Saturday, 8 June 2013
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by Wong Mei Kay on Monday, 03 June 2013 16:00
BEFORE commercial airlines, trains were the preferred mode of transport for long-distance travel. Over the years, man's endless pursuit of speed has seen the advancement of railway technology, enabling us to travel faster across great distances.
Today, high-speed trains zoom across cities and countries at breakneck speeds of more than 300kph.
Japan introduced the world's first high-speed rail in 1964. It runs between Tokyo and Osaka and remains the leading high-speed rail in the world today with its continued innovation and technology. Since then, countries across Europe and Asia have been motivated to develop similar systems.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong gave the go-ahead for a high-speed rail (HSR) connecting Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur to the city-state.
The exact cost of the HSR has not been announced officially, but it is estimated at RM30 billion. It will cover some 330km as it snakes its way through the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, which translates into a cost of about RM91 million per km. Travel time between the two capitals is expected to be just 90 minutes.
The HSR, which is targeted for completion in 2020, will complement another rail project — the Rapid Transit System Link — that will link Johor Baru to Singapore's Thomson Line, which is expected to be ready by 2019.
The HSR has been a topic of discussion since its announcement. Some are optimistic about it while others are concerned about the cost of its construction and the price of the tickets. A widely talked about aspect of the HSR is how it is going to affect the property sector.
The Edge Investment Forum on Real Estate 2013 brought together three experts in their fields to participate in a panel discussion titled "The impact of the KL-Singapore high-speed rail" on May 11.
The panellists were Nor Azam M Taib, senior vice-president of corporate business at Malaysia Building Society Bhd; Sunway Bhd's executive director Kumar Tharmalingam and Knight Frank Malaysia's managing director Sarkunan Subramaniam.
All three agreed that the HSR would have a huge impact on the country's economy and the real estate sector. Its construction is expected to add RM6.2 billion to gross national income, stimulate gross domestic product by 0.5% a year during the construction period, impact the construction, manufacturing and tourism sectors and raise foreign direct investment in Malaysia.
The panellists believe Malaysia could experience the same kind of effects that HSR in, for example, Europe (the Eurostar between London and Paris) and China have had if the project becomes a reality.
Nor Azam said the HSR would create more movement and activity in the areas between the two economic hubs when it is completed. The benefits to the tourism sector would be huge. "With the HSR stopping at both Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the region would eventually emerge as a main tourism hub."
The HSR would also have spillover effects across various industries, boosting business and employment opportunities in the tourism, hospitality, education, retail, transport and construction sectors, Nor Azam added.
Although the HSR's stations have not been announced, five places have been mentioned in the initial plan — Seremban (Negeri Sembilan), Ayer Keroh (Melaka) and Batu Pahat, Muar and Iskandar Malaysia (Johor). Noz Azam said this would lead to an increase in demand for properties around the stations, which will have a positive impact on the property market in the areas.
According to Sunway's Kumar, the Kuala Lumpur rental market would be among the main beneficiaries of the proposed HSR as greater connectivity and stronger cross-corporate relationships would motivate more foreign companies and investors, especially those that are already established in Singapore, to do business in Malaysia. Expatriates and foreign workers would need accommodation, which is good news for the rental market.
Cross-corporate relationships would also create more corporate content, higher-quality companies and better-paid staff in the city, said Kumar, adding that hotels, serviced apartments and offices would benefit as well.
The panellists see new developments mushrooming along the HSR as well as in Kuala Lumpur city.
Knight Frank's Sarkunan opines that the project would alleviate congestion and cut costs associated with urban growth in the cities and trigger the rise of nearby second and third-tier cities. The spread of population and growth would reduce the disparity of income between the cities and secondary towns. This, in turn, would make way for more efficient allocation of business activity across space and help firms control costs.
"We can also expect to see more transit-orientated developments and mixed built communities, such as affordable homes around the stations, thus providing better housing and transport choices," he said.
Developers with existing landbank in Johor and prime locations in the Klang Valley are likely to reap the benefits of the HSR.
This story first appeared in The Edge weekly edition of May 20-26, 2013.