By Sharen Kaur
KUALA LUMPUR: THE price of a return ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore on the high-speed rail (HSR) will be less than RM400, says Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chief executive Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal.
Mohd Nur Ismal said the ticket would be priced affordably so that all segments of the market - from business and leisure to tourism - could travel comfortably.
The HSR is expected to cut the travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to 90 minutes, from about five hours now.
The Malaysian terminus will be located in Bandar Malaysia, about 3km from Kuala Lumpur's financial district, while Singapore's will be located at the current site of the Jurong Country Club in Jurong East.
Rumours abound that prices could range between RM600 and RM800.
A Singapore daily reported yesterday that industry players were estimating ticket prices at between S$80 (RM216) and S$90 for the 350km trip.
Comparatively, the price of a standard full-fare HSR ticket from Taipei to Kaohsiung - for a distance of about 345km - is T$1,630 (RM189).
"We foresee a much lower average price to make the HSR project feasible. It would cost less than RM200 for a single trip. Although the return on investment will take a longer time, the operator will have several options to recoup its investment in the project.
"The company will be allowed to take on yield management similar to how an airline operates. This is one area we are looking at and it will not be strictly regulated like our LRT (light rail transit) and train services.
"With the HSR link, we can expect a massive boost to our tourism industry.
"It would allow tourists to visit Malaysia and Singapore as one package," Mohd Nur Ismal said.
The ambitious rail link, billed as a "game-changer", will be completed later than the originally targeted 2020 deadline.
At an annual retreat recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his counterpart Lee Hsien Loong said the 2020 deadline was unrealistic owing to the scale and complexity of the 350km route.
A new target date will be announced after both sides have agreed on all major issues of the project.
Business Times reported a few years ago that it could cost the Malaysian government around RM40 billion to build the HSR link, including RM10 billion to buy high speed bullet trains.
There are also proposals from several government-linked companies and private parties that claim they can build the HSR link and buy the bullet trains for less than RM20 billion.
KUALA LUMPUR: THE price of a return ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore on the high-speed rail (HSR) will be less than RM400, says Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chief executive Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal.
Mohd Nur Ismal said the ticket would be priced affordably so that all segments of the market - from business and leisure to tourism - could travel comfortably.
The HSR is expected to cut the travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to 90 minutes, from about five hours now.
The Malaysian terminus will be located in Bandar Malaysia, about 3km from Kuala Lumpur's financial district, while Singapore's will be located at the current site of the Jurong Country Club in Jurong East.
Rumours abound that prices could range between RM600 and RM800.
A Singapore daily reported yesterday that industry players were estimating ticket prices at between S$80 (RM216) and S$90 for the 350km trip.
Comparatively, the price of a standard full-fare HSR ticket from Taipei to Kaohsiung - for a distance of about 345km - is T$1,630 (RM189).
"We foresee a much lower average price to make the HSR project feasible. It would cost less than RM200 for a single trip. Although the return on investment will take a longer time, the operator will have several options to recoup its investment in the project.
"The company will be allowed to take on yield management similar to how an airline operates. This is one area we are looking at and it will not be strictly regulated like our LRT (light rail transit) and train services.
"With the HSR link, we can expect a massive boost to our tourism industry.
"It would allow tourists to visit Malaysia and Singapore as one package," Mohd Nur Ismal said.
The ambitious rail link, billed as a "game-changer", will be completed later than the originally targeted 2020 deadline.
At an annual retreat recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his counterpart Lee Hsien Loong said the 2020 deadline was unrealistic owing to the scale and complexity of the 350km route.
A new target date will be announced after both sides have agreed on all major issues of the project.
Business Times reported a few years ago that it could cost the Malaysian government around RM40 billion to build the HSR link, including RM10 billion to buy high speed bullet trains.
There are also proposals from several government-linked companies and private parties that claim they can build the HSR link and buy the bullet trains for less than RM20 billion.
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