Smooth connection: A seamless integration between flight and rail can increase travel in the country. — RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star
THE one-day shutdown of London’s Heathrow airport on March 21 affected more than 1,300 flights, turning life upside down for thousands of people who had never thought that the world’s fifth busiest airport could be semi-paralysed by a single electrical substation fire.
Some aircraft were turned back to their starting point, while others were diverted to nearby airports such as those in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, and Dublin, as well as those in England such as Manchester, Gatwick, Stansted, and Luton, to name a few.
One interesting development arising from this is the role of rail, both conventional and higher speed rail, in helping stranded commuters.
For example, the 31-year-old Eurostar high-speed rail (HSR) network came to the rescue in a meaningful way, as it immediately ramped up services to move stranded airline passengers between London and major cities in Europe such as Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels.
The 31-year-old Eurostar high-speed rail network came to rescue in a meaningful way when more than 1,300 flights were disrupted by Heathrow’s closure last month. — AFP
In standard class seating configuration, Eurostar’s extra service helped move nearly 900 passengers per train, providing much needed relief for stranded passengers.
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Travellers checking the information board as Heathrow slowly resumes flights after a fire cut power to Europe’s busiest airport last month and shut it down for a day. — AP
Even without emergency situations such as the abrupt Heathrow shutdown, HSR trains, with speeds exceeding 250kph, are usually the winners when it comes to short to medium trips, especially over distances below 1,000km.
“This is because train stations are usually located much nearer to city centres, as opposed to airports, which are located further away due to safety requirements,” says Yuslizar Daud, the former head of the Land Public Transport Commission’s Rail Division.
Not always a zero sum game
Intermodal integration is also an important feature in developed countries, as it is not always an outright competition between rail and aviation. With thought and planning, integrating rail with airports can improve passenger flow and help reduce congestion at airports as well as on roads leading to and from the city.
For example, the recent earthquake in Myanmar that also affected Bangkok led to massive road traffic congestion for days, but Bangkok’s good urban rail network, which resumed service a day or two after passing safety checks, provided a practical alternative in helping to move people around.
For Malaysia, railways can boost tourist travels, such as during Visit Malaysia 2026.
Elsewhere, national flag carrier Malaysia Airlines has introduced MHrail, a move to strengthen air-rail connectivity in Seoul (Incheon) as well as Heathrow through its partnership with AccesRail to provide its customers with seamless rail connections via a single booking.
AccesRail is an alliance of railway companies created to provide railways with an interface to worldwide reservation system Global Distribution System (GDS) that is used by airline systems so that the purchasing experience for an integrated rail-air journey can be more seamless.
In operation for 25 years, Montreal-based AccesRail works with all global GDS systems, and partners with major rail companies in Europe, North America and Asia, such as Deutsche Bahn (Germany); Japan’s JR East, JR West, and JR Kyushu; the United Kingdom’s Great Western Rail, National Express, Virgin Trains East Coast, and Virgin Trains West Coast; NS (Netherlands); ÖBB (Austria); Renfe (Spain); SJ (Sweden); SNCB (Belgium); Italy’s Trenitalia and NTV/Italo; and VIA Rail (Canada).
Interestingly, AccesRail is treated like an airline by the International Air Transport Association, which assigns it the carrier code “9B”.
In a statement announcing the air-rail intermodal solution in February 2024, Malaysia Airlines said the collaboration allows customers to unlock the opportunity to explore neighbouring cities in Seoul and London when travelling with the airline.
“Malaysia Airlines customers can now book Korail KTX train tickets for routes to and from Incheon International Airport in South Korea,” said Dersenish Aresandiran, chief commercial officer of airlines from Malaysia Aviation Group, in the statement.
Malaysia Airlines has introduced MHrail, a move to strengthen air-rail connectivity in Seoul. —Handout/Korail
In the same statement, Andrew Popescu, vice president for AccesRail’s Business Development, said: “AccesRail and Malaysia Airlines have worked together for many years with interline opportunities that have expanded the airline’s route network. Through this enhanced AccesRail partnership, Malaysia Airlines will be able, now and in the future, to offer its customers more destinations and more possibilities in a more seamless fashion.”
Thailand leads the way for South-East Asia
Hot on the heels of Indonesia’s Jakarta to Bandung HSR, Thailand will be the next South-East Asian country to have HSR, with its first line in the form of a standard gauge track from Bangkok to Vientiane in Laos (via Nakhon Ratchasima) slowly taking shape. Also called the North-eastern HSR (Phase 1) line, the Bangkok Post reported that the 251km alignment is “at about 36% completion” as of this January, while Phase 2 (from Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai 356km away) is also under construction. When fully completed, modern trains from Bangkok can travel through Laos using the latter’s standard gauge track that goes all the way to Kunming, China.
Recently, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) approved an amended joint investment contract for what will be a game- changer for Thailand by linking its three airports (Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang in Bangkok, and the U-Tapao airport at Rayong-Pattaya) via HSR as part of efforts to boost its Eastern Economic Corridor.
Also known as Eastern HSR Phase 1, the plans for this 250km alignment are being reviewed by the Eastern Economic Corridor’s HSR Project Supervisory Committee and the Attorney General’s Office, with final approval expected by June, and possible completion by 2029.
Elsewhere, last November, Vietnam’s National Assembly approved a 2,070km HSR to connect Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as part of the country’s railway transport development strategy to be part of the Trans-Asian railway network.
Need for more options in Malaysia
The ongoing East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) from Kota Baru to Port Klang, will pass through Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan, and Bentong, with a passenger spur line to Gombak (with an LRT connection to KL Sentral via the Kelana Jaya LRT).
While not designed as a HSR, the alignment is optimised to allow good travel speeds – at up to 160kph in some parts – for a single track configuration that will be shared between passenger and cargo trains.
However, there is every need to provide a backup to the sole main line from Johor Baru to Padang Besar.
“In a few years’ time, the Gemas to Padang Besar stretch itself will be 20 years old, and may be staring at the need for rehabilitation. As seen from the Klang Valley Double Track [KVDT] rehabilitation project, there will be massive disruptions to travel plans, more so considering that the track is being shared by cargo, commuter, intercity, and ETS [Electric Train Service] trains,” says Yuslizar, who emphasises the need for a certain degree of redundancy to make rail a truly reliable option.
“Within this context, the ECRL and Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR are not superfluous projects as they have their roles in spurring regional development within their respective catchments,” he adds.
Many are eagerly waiting for the completion of the ECRL project. — Agencies
In its original proposal, the 350km Kuala Lumpur to Singapore HSR had to allow a non-stop journey from Bandar Malaysia to Jurong East to be completed in no more than 90 minutes.
With the first requirement satisfied, the operator of the line can tweak domestic services, such as KL to Iskandar Puteri in two hours, or KL to Seremban (closer to Labu) in 20 minutes, or KL to Ayer Keroh in a mere 40 minutes, to suit local requirements.
On Jan 15, 2024, seven local and international consortia, comprising 31 firms that represent the full spectrum of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR project, submitted concept proposals to MyHSR Corporation Sdn Bhd when the deadline for submission ended. From this, three consortia have been shortlisted for the project; however, the project will proceed only if the private sector funds the bulk of it.
Meanwhile, rail travel fans are cheering the imminent full opening of KTMB’s Gemas to Johor Baru double tracking, with the remaining 170km from Segamat to Johor Baru expected to be fully electrified and certified safe for use by 2026.
With limited stops along the way, it is possible to complete the journey from KL Sentral to JB Sentral in four hours or so using KTMB, while crossing over to Singapore may take nearly another hour as one needs to clear Malaysian and Singapore immigration before boarding the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link (expected to enter into service by end 2026).
Part of the journey in Johor Baru will be on foot, with the walking distance from the KTMB platform to the RTS platform at Johor’s Bukit Chagar station easily being around 450m.
While KTMB’s ETS to Johor Baru and vice versa will have its ready market share, there is another category of travellers who want to avoid the hassle of flying or getting to and from the airport, as well as those who want to manage their travel carbon footprint.
“As seen throughout the developed world, there is always a need to provide options and backup,” says Dr Roslina Ahmad, a transport and logistics economist who was formerly with the Malaysia Institute of Transport at Universiti Teknologi Mara.
“For seamless movement across borders, be it Singapore or Thailand, an integrated system between countries needs to be provided. Here, HSR fits the bill as it is a quick and seamless mode.”
