KTM unfazed by proposed bullet train to Singapore

KTM unfazed by proposed bullet train to Singapore

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's unprofitable national railway firm is not worried about competition from a proposed high-speed bullet train linking Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, a top official said Tuesday.

Malaysian conglomerate YTL Corp. had proposed building an 8 billion ringgit (US$2.3 billion; euro1.9 billion) bullet train link that would cover the 325-kilometer (200-mile) journey between the country's biggest city and Singapore in 90 minutes.

This compares to seven hours on existing train services by state railway company KTM Berhad.

KTM managing director Mohamad Salleh Abdullah however, said the bullet train doesn't cater to the average working class as its fares are likely to be much costlier.

A ticket for an air-conditioned second class seat on a KTM train costs only 22 ringgit (US$6.3, euro5.2), he said. Last year, KTM ferried some 600,000 passengers between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, he said.

"As far as KTM is concerned, we will continue with our services which we consider as very relevant to the southern sector of peninsula Malaysia and Singapore,'' Mohamad Salleh told reporters.

"We can provide reasonable level of comfort at a very affordable cost because our rates are very cheap compared to high-speed train.''

The bullet train proposal is still being studied by the two governments, and there has been no indications on how much fares will cost.

Mohamad Salleh said KTM, which currently runs mostly on single tracks, could cut travel time between Kuala Lumpur to Singapore to around four hours once double-track electric lines are built.

Projects to double-track rail lines straddling the length of peninsula Malaysia are either ongoing or expected to start soon, and likely to be completed in five years, which will completely transform national rail services, he said.

"Single tracks are bleeding us. We need (all our rail lines) to be double track and electrified because it is cleaner, more efficient, economical and faster,'' he said.

"The target date is 2012, it will definitely mark a new era for us.''

KTM now gets 40 million ringgit (US$11.4 million, euro9.5 million) each year from the government to maintain existing single tracks and uneconomical routes, as well as subsidies for part of its fuel needs, he said.

It runs 22 intercity train services within peninsula Malaysia but this can rise by as much as fivefold once double-tracking is done, he added. KTM also has freight services and commuter rail lines covering areas surrounding Kuala Lumpur.

Earlier, KTM signed an agreement with SCNF International, a unit of French national railway company, for technology training and consultancy to help boost its services. - AP

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