Hello Express Rail To Jb Goodbye Hsr To Singapore

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Imagine thousands of daily commuters, shoppers, and tourists choosing the train over traffic-clogged Causeway buses or costly flights.
With the completion of the Gemas-Johor Bahru electrified double tracking project (EDTP) in September this year, rail services along the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia will enter a transformative phase.
This is not just another railway upgrade. It’s a strategic shift in how we connect our southern economic corridor to the rest of the nation and, by extension, to Singapore.
For decades, the southern sector of our rail network has been the weakest link, plagued by slow, diesel-powered trains, outdated meandering tracks, and long travel times that made rail uncompetitive compared to road or air travel.
Electric locomotives
That will soon change.
Once double-tracking is completed and the lines are electrified, with electric locomotives taking over from their lumbering diesels counterparts, the seven hour KL-JB journey will be slashed in half, point to point.
This is a major game-changer.
Suddenly, train travel becomes faster than a similar trip by car or express bus via the North-South Expressway, and competitive in door-to-door timing with flights, but at a fraction of the cost.
For business travellers, the savings in both time and money will be hard to ignore.
For leisure passengers, rail will offer a far more relaxed, comfortable and environmentally-friendly alternative.
Service strategy
Importantly, this opens the door for KTMB to rethink its service strategy.
The southern line could support:
Express business class service: non-stop from KL Sentral to JB Sentral, and potentially onward to Woodlands, Singapore, for a truly competitive alternative to air travel.Limited stop intercity services: connecting major towns, like Seremban, Pulau Sebang (in Melaka), Segamat and Kluang (Johor) along the way while still maintaining high average speeds.Johor commuter rail: serving the fast-growing urban sprawl from Segamat to JB, Pasir Gudang and Tanjung Pelepas, a new rail network that would provide alternative daily travel and avoid road congestion while improving local connectivity.The economic ripple effects from the three types of services are obvious.
Bye, bye, HSR
Johor Bahru, as Malaysia’s second largest city and the southern gateway, may finally enjoy the kind of rail connectivity that boosts investment, tourism and labour mobility.
The Singapore market, with its high purchasing power and constant need for cross-border travel, is a massive, under-tapped opportunity. Imagine thousands of daily commuters, shoppers and tourists choosing the train over the traffic-clogged Causeway or costly flights.
In effect, this development quietly sidelines the once highly-publicised Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project.
While the HSR promised a less than two hour dash between the two capitals, it came with an astronomical price tag and heavy political baggage, not to mention high land acquisition costs.
The EDTP, by contrast, is already built, fully funded by the government, and integrated into our existing rail system, delivering significant improvements without the financial burden and political drama.
With smart scheduling, competitive fares, and the right mix of services, KTMB could seize this moment to redefine intercity travel in Malaysia.
This isn’t just about faster trains; it’s about reclaiming rail as the backbone of our national transport system.
The message is clear: Hello express rail to JB — and perhaps, in practical terms, goodbye to the dream of a high-speed rail to Singapore. - FMT
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

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