It has to be competitive with respect to Airplanes.

Since the train is going to another country, there will be customs, security and immigration checks. As for checking in, even Air Asia has resorted to checking in from your PC. If you have luggages, the same challenges applies to trains. Will the train ask passengers to be at the waiting room early before boarding? I am pretty sure they would.

When you get off at Singapore, there will also be customs, security and immigration checks.

Lastly, its not really door to door as the article mentioned. You still need to travel to the station. And since they are not going to be stops in between, people in Kajang, Putrajaya, etc need to travel to Sentral train station (assuming its built there).

The London Paris high speed train partly works because you can travel througout Europe without going thru customs, immigrations (I am referring to EU citizens, non EU still need checks).
High speed trains crossing international borders suffer more or less the same process as air travel.
Anybody care to comment?

Also, I think the govt is usually protective of MAS. The KL Singapore sector is a money making sector. They might mitigate this by giving MAS a stake in the HSR project.

A reasonable analysis

http://bursastocktalk.blogspot.com/2012/04...speed-rail.html

An interstate high speed train would obtain more passengers to make the project more financially viable.

I think there is another controversy involving Maglev. The high Electromagnetic radiation may or may not pose health issues. If built along the highway as per UEM's proposal, I guess not issue. But if built near residential areas ...

There are still arguing about this point. But there is definitely a stigma attached to living beside a Maglev line, (there is a protest in China) just like people's preference not to live beside a high tension power line.

Good point.

Is it really so hard to duplicate a KL shopping mall in JB?
In the Klang Valley, one shopping mall has only a little differentiation to the other.
And if you mention high end shopping, I think Singapore is more high end and has more choices.

And the future is e-commerce, especially with property prices increasing so much. Rental will become a bigger and bigger portion of retail cost. For example, I bought a McLaren baby pram online because its way cheaper than what they sold in a mall. The same thing with books, I buy mostly online. Of course most things still have to be sold in physical stores. But as rental goes higher and higher,and with improving technology, and for convenience sake, that may change.

I think you guys should not put too much hope in this project.
With the Fitch negative rating, the government is under immense pressure to cut spending or increase revenue. At best, it will probably be delayed.
This project cannot depend 100% on private funding. Because the ROI is not guaranteed.
Maybe it will be private sector loan guaranteed by government, but I think rating agencies not stupid.
Maybe, EPF will loan the project - then you better hope it is a good project - because its your retirement fund.

I am sorry to say, YTL will definitely ask for government help.
Or they ask for certain rights in return.

my friend,
this is Singapore's cunning plot to get Malaysia's brightest talents to go work for them.

When I was living in Melaka in the 80's , even the town area can receive Singapore channel.
But the picture quality was sometimes grainy. I don't know if Melaka still have these tall Ariel's?

Hi many businessmen live in the KLCC?

What about those businessmen living in elsewhere in KL and Selangor.
Sorry I don't see this project happening. Its another "good news story" for the last election.

Exactly. And with the RM devalued, the cost of project has probably gone up.