There is already the KTM Electric Train Service (ETS), a medium-speed electrified double-track railway, between northernmost state Perlis and Negeri Sembilan. The Gemas-Johor Bahru stretch is expected to be completed in mid-2023 and would connect Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur in about three and a half hours.
DON’T GET HOPES UP FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL
While some may feel that this justifies the need for a HSR that will cut travel time down to only 90 minutes, there is the matter of costs and the expected (high) ticket prices in this time of widespread financial struggle.
Corporate travelers may prefer to pay a little more to travel by plane, and some flight tickets might actually be cheaper with budget flights. Express buses between Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur usually take about four hours and are the most economic choice for those without cars.
Rail travel is not known to be an instinctive travel option in Malaysia and Singapore. While this might be the result of a lack of passenger train options, it remains to be seen whether train travel can be as economically viable or accessible to the average person as the projections promise.
Furthermore, the HSR was a Barisan Nasional initiative. Many also blamed the previous Pakatan Harapan government for its failure, though Mahathir’s administration has always maintained that it was only to reduce costs given the state of Malaysia’s economy.