JOHOR BARU: The revival of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project can help overcome the issue of long travel times, says Johor South SME Association founding president Teh Kee Sin.
He said the current transportation options during peak travel periods were limited.
“Now, people are driving up to 16 hours from Johor to Penang, especially during festive seasons. It can take five hours to go to Melaka and nine hours to get to Kuala Lumpur.
“Flights are also limited in terms of ticket availability and frequency,” he said, adding that the HSR should be part of Malaysia’s long-term development strategy which can help ease these pressures.
Teh also said the economic potential of integrating the HSR with the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link which opens next year, and the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) would be immense.
“The RTS Link will result in more economic growth and cross-border traffic. Other countries with special economic zones have already adopted advanced transportation systems, but we are still far behind,” he added.
Johor Tourist Guides Association chairman Jimmy Leong said the existing rail network should be upgraded to improve connectivity between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
He said any private sector-led revival of the HSR project should be evaluated in terms of affordability, competitiveness and projected passenger volumes.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim earlier said that the revival of the HSR is only possible if there is major participation from the private sector
“There have been proposals. But, it will only happen if we have full participation of the private sector, with very minimal government involvement,” said Anwar, who hosted Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the 11th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat.
Johor Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry vice-president Segar Rajoo suggested that focus be made on Light Rail Transit (LRT) system to connect key areas in Johor such as Kulai, Tebrau, Pasir Gudang and Iskandar Puteri.
“Funds should be allocated to build an LRT system to enhance mobility and accessibility for Johoreans while supporting local economic activity,” he said, adding that Johor Baru should be made a modern city comparable to Singapore.
