Transport economist Walter Theseira from the Singapore University of Social Sciences noted that the checkpoint does not provide convenient connections to Singapore’s public transport system.
If Singapore considers the proposal, it would have to study where the terminal should be, with better links to public transport and the city centre here.
“Otherwise, you would get here very quickly, and… still have to go through a fairly lengthy connection to the rest of the system in Singapore,” Dr Theseira said.
“It’s not as simple as upgrading the tracks. It will require completely redesigning and thinking about how we connect the KTM system to our city centre.”
He did say, though, that the service could still be acceptable when measured against catching a one-hour flight to Kuala Lumpur.
The trains would terminate at Kuala Lumpur Sentral station in the heart of the city, whereas air travel to the Malaysian capital is presently “much less competitive” because Kuala Lumpur International Airport, which is some distance from town, is inconvenient for travellers, he noted.
This also hinges on having a terminal at Singapore’s side that is near a public transport hub, and that the rail link is reliable. “If you have neither the speed nor the reliability, you run the real risk of ending up with a white elephant,” he added.
In the longer term, Dr Theseira foresees that many countries in the Association of South-east Asian Nations will likely benefit from an integrated high-speed rail system throughout the region in two or three decades.
When that happens, Singapore and Malaysia could be left behind if there is no network to match that. “By building a system now that is not going to be interoperable with a true high-speed rail system, we may put ourselves in the unfortunate position of, in 20 years’ time, having to reinvest in a high-speed rail,” he said.