Life goes on: M’sian towns along HSR line remain upbeat despite missed opportunities

AYER KEROH / SEREMBAN (Malaysia) — Days after Malaysia's historic May 9 general election, Mr Yong Fun Juan and his staff were caught in a bind when Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad first announced that Putrajaya will scrap the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-speed Rail (HSR) project.

His company had planned to launch a RM200 million (S$66 million) 38-storey condominium in Melaka at the end of this year and among its selling points was its proximity to the Ayer Keroh HSR station. The property will be 13km away from the proposed station.

"We had printed the sales pamphlets with images of a high speed train and the station but when we heard the government's announcement, we had to reprint them again without the images," he told TODAY.

"But we are happy that the HSR project is not cancelled (in the end)... we can still launch our property although the (launch) date is postponed to next year."

Mr Yong is among those who remain optimistic despite the postponement of the HSR project.

Lawyer Chew Wee Kian added that investors, especially those from Selangor and Kuala Lumpur have been interested in properties in Melaka due to the HSR and Melaka Gateway - a RM43 billion mega development consisting of three man-made islands and a natural island that will include the Melaka International Cruise Terminal. Despite the postponement, there has not been a dip in sentiment, he said.

"I have not seen any adverse impact from these buyers as a result of the deferment," he said, adding that many are still holding on to their purchased properties.

The HSR project was formally postponed for nearly two years following agreement between Malaysia and Singapore earlier this month, with Putrajaya to pay abortive costs of S$15 million to the Republic by January next year.

Construction work on the rail alignment and stations have yet to start, with many locals in Ayer Keroh and Labu (another HSR station in Negeri Sembilan) in the dark over the exact location of the stations when TODAY was on the ground.

Neither are there any billboards or signs indicating the presence of the project.

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If the line goes ahead, rail services between the two countries are expected to start by Jan 1 in 2031, four years later than the original scheduled date of Dec 31, 2026.

The cross-border rail network will have eight stations. There is the Jurong East station in Singapore. On the Malaysian side, there are: Bandar Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Sepang-Putrajaya (Selangor), Seremban (Negeri Sembilan), Ayer Keroh (Melaka) and Johor's Muar, Batu Pahat and Iskandar Puteri stations.

While many Malaysians have been looking forward to the economic spin-offs the project will generate, they accept that the Mahathir administration has to defer the massive undertaking due to financing problems.

The country's leaders had cited the need to trim Putrajaya's RM1 trillion debt as the reason to defer the HSR - a 350km line which would have slashed rail travel time between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to 90 minutes.

Ayer Keroh assemblyman Kerk Chee Yee said: "The people of Melaka especially those in Ayer Keroh understood the reasons for the deferment," he said.

Now, the site where the Ayer Keroh HSR station will be built is a track for motorsports enthusiasts. It is located about 1km from the Ayer Keroh toll that leads to the North South Expressway.

Fashion design student Wahida Amalin Mosli, 18, noted that the government's current finances make it hard to go ahead with the project for now. However, she is looking forward to the day when she can finally utilise the "game-changing" HSR.

"It's a good thing the HSR is not cancelled. I am hoping that I will be an established designer by the time it is finally operational so that I can hop on the train (from Ayer Keroh) to meet potential clients in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore," she said.
 

WISH FOR DEVELOPMENT

Over at Labu, where the Seremban HSR station is situated, residents and businesses can only hope the area will become more vibrant in the future.

Unlike Ayer Keroh which is a lively tourist town, Labu is a quiet hamlet peppered with Malay villages and palm oil plantations.

One of the plantations will be cleared to make way for the HSR station, according to the website of MyHSR Corporation, Malaysia's project delivery vehicle.

"Some people came months ago to survey the land in the surrounding villages, my sister's durian orchard will be acquired by the government as it is on the path of the proposed alignment," said retiree Ibrahim Mohd.

Hairstylist Badrul Mohd Yunos said: "With the HSR, maybe those who are on the way to the station will drop by my salon for a haircut and eat at the restaurant next door."

"I was already prepared to print flyers to let people know about my business when I heard about the postponement," he rued.

The 20-year-old opened his salon one year ago and as of now, he gets an average of 20 customers a week.

Most who live in Labu are retirees, whose children and grandchildren work and live in the nearby towns of Seremban or Nilai, as well as in Kuala Lumpur.

Retiree Lau Ah Kow is also looking forward for the day when the HSR takes off. The rail will make it easier for him to visit his sister in Johor and his relatives in Singapore.

"At my age, it is more convenient for me to take the train rather than be confined to a car for hours," said the spritely 75-year-old.

Labu assemblyman Ismail Ahmad noted that the HSR will bring economic benefits to his area.

"I am confident that the government will continue with it after two years. After all, it will have a positive impact on the economy from attracting more tourists to foreign investors," he said.

In the meantime, he claimed the deferment will not have any detrimental impact, as other developments are going full steam ahead. This includes the Malaysia Vision Valley (MVV) - a 130,000-acre metropolitan city that is about 75 per cent the size of Singapore - and where the HSR station will be sited, he said.

But the jury's still out if the HSR will give a boost to the small towns.

Mini market proprietor T Letchumy said: "We will have to see if the HSR will benefit people like me."

"My shop is near the KTM Komuter (inter-city rail) station and yet business is bad. On most days, my average takings is only RM20."

Mr Asrul Hadi Abdullah, an analyst with political risk consultancy BowerGroupAsia, noted that the HSR has been primarily promoted as a link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, even though there are smaller stops along the way.

"The HSR is marketed to businesses and leisure travellers with higher incomes," he said.

"People at the smaller towns along the HSR route feel that they can't save much time or cost compared to when they drive to bigger cities like Kuala Lumpur," he said, adding that they can also take the inter-city rail if they are not in a rush.