How High Speed Rail (HSR) benefits smaller towns and the economy

How High Speed Rail (HSR) benefits smaller towns and the economy

No latest news online

I searched but there were no latest news which is of interest for the High Speed Rail (HSR) KL – Singapore. Perhaps everything is happening behind the scene and very soon when things are developing well enough, then we will have more news about the HSR.

The latest previous news was this:

Article in theedgemalaysia.com THREE consortia’s concept proposals for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) are believed to have been shortlisted for the multibillion-ringgit mega infrastructure project.

According to sources privy to the matter, the three consortia are YTL Construction Sdn Bhd-SIPP Rail Sdn Bhd, Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd-IJM Construction Sdn Bhd-Berjaya Rail Sdn Bhd-Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (MRCB-IJM-BRail-KTMB) and a Chinese consortium said to be led by state-owned China Railway Construction. Read here for the full article: Article in theedgemalaysia.com

Nope, the ticket prices will never be able to cover the construction cost yeah

I personally love the idea of HSR and anyone asking whether the tickets can cover the construction cost misses a huge point yeah. It’s the same as a parent giving their best to their children including even sending them for their first degree which could easily cost RM100,000 per year these days. Would the monthly salary at the end of the studies cover the costs incurred? If yes, in how many years? If no, then why bother to send? Why not just let them do whatever odd jobs and wish them all the best?

It’s the same also for the building of KL International Airport. There is no way that even within the first 10 years that the passenger fee could ever cover the construction costs. Then, why build it? What I want to highlight is how HSRs in the country with the most HSR in the world are benefitting tremendously from HSR. So many HSRs in the same sentence.

Article in globaltimes.cn While major cities remain popular, exploring small towns via high-speed rail is becoming a popular option. Visa-free policies also mean that more foreign tourists are visiting China this summer.

On Qunar, a domestic travel platform, travelers from the US, South Korea, Russia, Vietnam, and Malaysia have shown the most interest in high-speed rail bookings, favoring two-hour high-speed rail journeys, such as going from Southwest China’s Sichuan Province to Southwest China’s Chongqing, according to a report Qunar sent to the Global Times. 

In a two-hour high-speed rail zone around Shanghai and its surrounding cities, Yiwu in East China’s Zhejiang Province is popular among foreign tourists. A foreign blogger noted that his childhood Christmas gifts were labeled “MADE IN CHINA,” making him think Santa was Chinese. In Yiwu, he bought many sports products and said that its Olympic spirit is second only to Paris, according to Qunar’s report. Article in globaltimes.cn  

Some multiplier effects from HSR on the economy

HSR ensures economic multipliers continue to happen especially between KL – Singapore and all the towns along the way too. 90 percent of people staying in Singapore actually does NOT own a car yeah. It’s just too cost prohibitive.

Thus, if we have HSR, this millions and millions of people would have a chance to visit Malaysia easily versus flying in and having to be at the airport an hour earlier, leaving home 30-45 minutes earlier… flying for an hour… and then an hour of going through the customs and picking up the baggage and then finding a taxi followed by an hour of travel from KLIA to the city centre. For business travellers, this is okay!

For a family trip, would it not be better to just take all the luggage one needs, just board the train and within 2 hours arrive in KL safely and comfortably? Please do not think every family in Singapore owns a car. They are not a typical Malaysian family yeah. Say all you want about their public transport being better and whatever, most of their families do not own a car.

Anyway, this article is not on the benefits of HSR. Let me write another one for that. All the best and hopefully we have more news about the HSR soon. Positive news, please. Thank you to all the planners and strategists for the HSR.

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