Yesterday, I joined a Transit Oriented Development Seminar in KL to discuss integrated transport hubs and of course, the 350km high speed rail (HSR) linking Kuala Lumpur to Singapore and the 688km east coast rail link (ECRL) from Kota Bahru to Port Klang were hot topics.
The highly anticipated projects should be completed in 2026 and 2024 (respectively) and will slash travel time for HSR to just 90 minutes from the current five hours it takes to drive between the two cities. The projects mean more than just a faster journey; it represents how governments, developers and planners can come together to help these two countries’ peoples to get ready for a more prosperous future.
Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Program sees improving Kuala Lumpur and the Greater Klang Valley around the capital as a key growth engine in driving economic growth and transforming Malaysia. Making sure that KL and all the other stops on the HSR are integrated transport hubs is crucial to maximise the HSR’s economic, social and environmental benefits. To maximize the benefits of this increased connectivity, planning must start now.
Arcadis conducted a socioeconomic study on the line when the feasibility of the whole project was under discussion and what became clear was that the authorities should use socioeconomic modelling (SEM) and plan for this unconstrained development that can take place rather than let it happen organically. SEM goes one step further than traditional development project financial models and aims to depict and quantify the potential benefits that could be generated to governments and people, on top of the revenue for investors, developers or promoters. SEM goes one step further again, beyond construction multipliers: it covers anything within five kilometres of a station. It looks at the amalgamated effects of the movement of people, the reduction of travel times and the development of transit oriented development or mobility oriented development around the nodes of the station.
The two governments need to reach out to other stakeholders to make sure everyone is aware of the thinking behind SEM and what can be done, and what needs to be done now. Planning needs to encompass federal, state and local levels: for example, at the local level, how are small towns near to a HSR and ECRL stations going to get people there? You might need a rapid bus transport system and that could take three or four years to put into place. So we need to have these things planned out now, so when the line opens in 2026 and 2024, everyone is ready to capture the benefits.
The projects will bring about tremendous change, and certainly presents a once in a lifetime opportunity for the smaller towns along the line in Malaysia. Planned correctly, the HSR and ECRL will realise these ambitions and improve the lives of so many people.
