Grand plans for Thai-Malaysia rail connectivity

Rail race: Malaysia must act decisively as far as HSR is concerned as it is in real danger of being left behind by its regional peers, such as Thailand and Indonesia, which commenced commercial services for Whoosh (seen here), the nickname for its maiden HSR service between Jakarta and Bandung. — AFP

OCTOBER marked a great month for the development of rail travel in Asia, as Indonesia proudly opened the southern hemisphere’s first ever high speed rail (HSR) for service after nearly eight years of construction.

Running from Jakarta to Bandung over 142km, this Chinese-built package cuts a three-hour-plus road journey to a mere 40 minutes, a stunning achievement as time is a very precious commodity in this modern world.