Japan firms opt out of Malaysia-Singapore high-speed rail project

The Malaysian and Singaporean governments initially reached a basic agreement in 2013 on the project,

This project is 10 years on and still looking for finance.

However the larger problem is probably land acquisition.

This is what stalled and eventually shortened the planned High Speed Rail system in Indonesia.

There are thousands of small landholders to deal with and many of then simply do not want to relinquish their land. Delays, cost overruns, diverted courses (for legal, financial and political reasons) make this type of project very difficult.

China to the rescue? As you may know European financiers made the rail system possible in the US although it was easier to acquire land.

As you may know European financiers made the rail system possible in the US although it was easier to acquire land.

That is not how it happened in the US. The US government gave railroads 20 square miles of undeveloped land for every mile of transcontinental railroad they built. Most of those big early railroads made their money from developing and selling their land holdings, not from operating their railroads. In fact most didn't make much of a profit off railroading and when they ran out of land to sell they went bankrupt or merged with other railroads to the point where today there are only 6 Class 1 railroads in the US hauling freight and only one passenger railroad left.

Snap!

Air travel between Singapore and Malaysia and their neighbors is so amazingly good and low priced, that train travel would be a hard sell. Usually about $150 round trip. The train tickets would have to be subsidized to be competitive.

A lot people by land in Malaysia especially KL like it's a lottery ticket. Just hope some developer will need the land and pay big to get it. There was a half built highway ramp near my old apartment where the land owner kept pushing for more money to sell the land until they eventually just built the ramp on the other side of the highway.

Redemption, in California, USA a European company bailed out of building a high speed rail from San Francisco to Los Angeles because of toxic politics.

That company in the meanwhile built a highspeed rail in Morrocco in 7 years.

Over $40 billion spent and 40 years on and no rail to be seen in Cailfornia.

Over $40 billion spent and 40 years on and no rail to be seen in Cailfornia.

Very true. You can't even build enough housing let alone a new rail line. There are many reasons including zoning laws that force things to stay as-is. When I lived in California I rode the trains in San Francisco for work but I prefer driving. Unlike Japan where public transportation is generally safe, in the US it can get crazy.

China will build it.