A look at high speed rail development in Southeast Asia-
There has been a flurry of activity in the high speed rail (HSR) segment in Southeast Asia recently, with two of its major projects moving forward. Of the two projects, one will connect Jakarta and Bandung within Indonesia; while the second will connect Singapore to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
Project details
Both the HSR projects were conceptualised in early 2010 and have been under planning since. The Jakarta-Bandung HSR is being developed by the High Speed Railway Contract Consortium (HSRCC), comprising China Railway International Company Limited (40 per cent) and Indonesia-based Wijaya Karya, Jasa Marga and PT KAI (60 per cent), while the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur HSR is being developed by the Malaysia High Speed Rail (MyHSR) Corporation Sdn Bhd and the Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA).
The Jakarta-Bandung HSR is planned to span 142.4 km, connecting the national capital Jakarta with Bandung in the neighbouring West Java province. The line will cover four stations, located at Halim (Jakarta end), Karawang, Walini and Tegalluar (Bandung end). Of the total route length, around 71.6 km will be at-grade, 53.5 km elevated, and 15.6 km through tunnels.
The project is expected to cost $5.5 billion, and is scheduled to be completed by 2019. The concession period for the HSRCC is 50 years beginning May 31, 2019, and cannot be prolonged, except in a force majeure situation. The China Development Bank has committed to funding 75 per cent of the project costs with loan terms of 40 years – with an initial grace period of 10 years – with a fixed loan rate.
The Singapore-Kuala Lumpur HSR will span 350 km with eight stations, following a coastal route. Of the total stations, seven will be in Malaysia (Bandar Malaysia, Putrajaya, Seremban, Ayer Keroh, Muar, Batu Pahat and Iskandar Puteri) and one in Singapore (Jurong East). The construction cost for the project is estimated at MYR 43 billion and the line is scheduled to be completed by 2026.
Progress so far
While the Jakarta-Bandung HSR has recently entered the construction stage with contracts having been awarded in April 2016; the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur HSR is still under planning and design.
In April 2016, the HSRCC signed an engineering, procurement and construction contract with the Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China joint venture for the Jakarta-Bandung HSR.
The Singapore-Kuala Lumpur HSR received approval from both governments in December 2016, and has been swiftly moving forward ever since. Recently, in April 2017, MyHSR Corporation awarded six reference design consultant contracts for the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur project (see Table)
Apart from these, in February 2016, AECOM Singapore secured a contract from LTA to conduct an advanced engineering study for the Singapore stretch of the project. As per the contract, the company will provide architectural, civil, electrical, mechanical and other design services. In line with this, AECOM unveiled the design of the Jurong East terminus of the line in March 2017.
Conclusion
Both the HSR projects are expected to boost the economies of the respective countries significantly.
The Jakarta-Bandung HSR will reduce the travel time between the capital city of Jakarta and the textile hub of Bandung to less than one hour. As per Indonesian President Joko Widodo,”The project will benefit local people both in the short and long term as well as improve the country’s global competitiveness.”
One of the key benefits of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur HSR will be to reduce the travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to 90 minutes, strengthening the link between two of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant and fast growing economic engines. In addition, the HSR presents an opportunity to open up and rejuvenate smaller cities in peninsular Malaysia by connecting them to the two major metropolises.
