KL-Bangkok Line Possible - MyHSR Corp Head

Photo: Coconuts There is a chance that the bullet train will be extended to Malaysia's northern region, with a final stop at Padang Besar in Perlis, according to MyHSR Corporation Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Seri Fauzi Abdul Rahman. However, the development of the KL-Singapore HSR is given priority right now, NST reported.

Datuk Seri Fauzi said that Thailand plans to build a high-speed rail network that will link Padang Besar and Bangkok. Construction is underway on the northeast and the three airport lines. Following completion of those projects, work on the southern line will commence.

"We would simply synchronise with that if we were to construct a line connecting Kuala Lumpur and Padang Besar," he added.

He does, however, stress that before the KL-Bangkok line can move forward, the government must make sure that the southern line which connects Kuala Lumpur with Singapore is fully utilized.

This will guarantee that the construction is finished to a high standard and that the ridership figures correspond with the estimates made in the private sector's proposal.

"Our goal is for the southern corridor to grow into a major economic hub, given the positive correlation and interdependence between investments in large infrastructure projects such as the HSR and economic multipliers. Early planning and integration of the economic corridor alongside the HSR delivery is critical to amplifying the benefits and growth potential of the project.

"We simply cannot rest on our laurels and must not be left behind, as our regional peers such as Thailand and Indonesia, which are prioritising mega transport infrastructure projects, are closing the gap to Malaysia," he stated.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew stated in November last year that the proposed revived high-speed rail (HSR) project will initially focus on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route.
“As for the Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok (route), it might be done in the second phase, which would incur a much higher capital expenditure than the one required for (the route heading to) Singapore,” he added.

He was responding to former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (PN-Pagoh), who asked about the government's future plans for the KL-Singapore HSR project, stating that it would be viable to extend the project to Bangkok and that Thailand was developing its own HSR that could reach Peninsular Malaysia.