Major Rail Projects: Malaysia & Singapore
Posted by Tim Cole on Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Rail construction projects in Malaysia and Singapore have played a major part in the growth of the construction industry in the region over the last decade. Malaysia and Singapore have heavily integrated transport systems allowing easy travel for residents. Now as both regions look to strengthen their transport links further the rail construction market boom looks set to continue. Let’s take a look at 3 major rail projects planned to be completed over the next decade within the 2 regions.
- THE SUNGAI BULOH-SERDANG-PUTRAJAYA LINE (SSP LINE) MRT PROJECT MALAYSIA – Part of the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) System
- THE THOMSON-EAST COAST LINE (TEL) MRT PROJECT SINGAPORE - Joint line between the Thomson Line and the Eastern Region Line.
- THE PROPOSED KUALA LUMPUR TO SINGAPORE HIGH SPEED RAIL (HSR) PROJECT - A high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
The Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya Line (SSP Line) – Malaysia
This MRT Line will be the second MRT line to be developed and will service an area with a population of around 2 million people. The proposed development is includes 36 stations linked by 52.2km of track and approximately 13km of underground tunnel work. Construction of the line is due to begin in 2016, with a targeted operational date of currently earmarked for 2022. When completed, the SSP Line will link Sungai Buloh and Putrajaya via Serdang, the average travel time between stations is expected to take between two to three minutes, and travelling from end to end the entire journey would take over 80 minutes. Additionally the line will be supplemented by park and ride facilities to further encourage public use of the system, and once fully completed the new line will have an estimated daily passenger count of over 500,000.
The Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) MRT Project – Singapore
Announced in 2014 the line is fully underground and will open in five stages from 2019 onwards. It will be the sixth Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and the fourth fully automated and driverless system line in Singapore. It will be 43 km long with 31 stations each of which will have at least four entrances, offering the most accessibility among all the rail lines in Singapore. However despite the increase in the average number of access points, Singapore is still far behind Hong Kong's MTR system, which has 557 entrances for 84 stations, or six access points per station.
The new line also interchanges with all existing lines and should serve of 500,000 daily commuters. The planned 5 stage opening will begin with stage 1 in 2019, stage 2 in 2020, stage 3 in 2021, stage 4 in 2023 and stage 5 in 2024. There is also consideration for a stage 6 which would link into the new Changi Airport Terminal 5.
Kuala Lumpur To Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) Project – Malaysia/Singapore
The Kuala Lumpur–Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project was announced in 2010 and is proposed to connect Kuala Lumpur with Singapore. The High Speed Rail, which aims to be operational by 2020, serves as an alternative method of public transport travel between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The High Speed Rail will connect 5 cities in Malaysia to Singapore, following a coastal route. The route aims to the quickest and most convenient way to travel between to the 2 destinations by reducing total travel time to 2.5hours (including check in and arrival processes) compared with just over 4hours total journey time taken by plane (including travel to airport, check in and departure process, arrival process, travel time to CBD from airport).
The railway will be about 400 km long with trains travelling c250 km per hour, making the total train travel time around 90 minutes. Specialist engineering companies will be drafted in to complete the project and total construction costs are estimated to be up to MYR 40 billion.
The rail related construction market in Malaysia and Singapore remains positive with strong pipeline of future projects that will strengthen the market in the coming years. International construction and engineering companies will be drawn in to complete the projects with a variety of specific skills required including Commercial Management and Engineering professionals.
If you’re interested to find out more about the upcoming projects and job opportunities in Malaysia/Singapore or other Asia locations please get in touch.
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