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Asia needs to see high-speed rail as more than a megaproject
Rail projects must be approached simultaneously as a product that people choose to use and as a system that nations can sustain for 50 to 100 years.
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Launched in 2023, Indonesia’s high-speed rail service is bleeding money due to massive construction debt, low passenger numbers and high operating costs.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Tai Cheong Chew
High-speed rail (HSR) is having a moment across Asia. Vietnam is moving from debate to decisions. Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor is positioning HSR as the backbone for investment. Indonesia’s Jakarta-Bandung line has put full-speed services on the map, with conversations already under way about extending the corridor to Surabaya. The China-Laos railway is reshaping regional freight and tourism flows – and could someday connect further south.
Closer to home, Malaysia and Singapore are revisiting their HSR proposal. The original Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR deal was terminated in 2021, but the project remains a possibility with Malaysia taking a private sector-led, no government funding approach. Singapore remains open to a commercially viable proposal, focusing on broader connectivity.
