English 
Malay By: Ir Dr Tai Tuck Leong
Organisation/ Individual: Monsoon Malaysia
Policy Code: 3k Transport
Problem Statement and Current Policy:
Peninsular Malaysia has a spatial length of about 800km from north to south, with Kuala Lumpur roughly situated in the middle. Hence, with Kuala Lumpur as the centre of gravity, most journeys emanating from this capital city would involve a distance of less than 400km.
Value(s) and Belief:
Under the National Perspective – “Moving People and Unifying the Country”. The critical factors for consideration here are: spatial distance, safety, demand and selection of a primary mode.
Proposal of Solution and Call for Action:
1. The most suitable transport mode for travel of these distances is High Speed Rail (HSR). For all the journeys mentioned above, High Speed Rail (HSR) can be shown to be the most superior, in terms of journey time, safety and carrying capacity. 2. At a travel speed of 300kph, HRS is known to be the quickest mode for door-to-door travel for journey distances between 150km to 600km. 3. In additional, rail travel is recognized as the safest among the three modes of travel (i.e. rail, air and car). 4. Whilst in term of travel capacity, rail mode is the undisputed winner as rail system is well known for its ability to move people en masse. A rail journey by a train of 10 coaches would provide a carrying capacity of 1500 passengers. Rail mode can also be very flexible; in the event of high demands, additional coaches can easily be added. 5. Therefore, in a national perspective of intercity or interregional travel, we should shift from road-based public transport systems to a rail-based system, i.e. a high-speed rail system of travel speed of 300kph. 6. However, for railways to work, it has to be publicly owned, to be provided as a transport service for the public; a truly “public” transport service for the people, to be provided as a “right” to public service and not as a ‘privilege”. 7. Roads are 27 times, by kilometer, more than railways; thus the nation has indeed invested many times more in roads than in railways. It is time to address this imbalance and review our priority in “public” infrastructure investment. 8. Given the on-going double tracking efforts in railway construction, it is proposed to construct another track onto the existing 1-meter narrow-gauge tracks to change them into what is called a dual or mixed gauge tracks. In this way, the cost to upgrade or to modify the existing track system would be lower than to build an entirely new track system. 9. This HSR system shall become the backbone of the National Transportation System as it is safe, fast, efficient, sustainable and of high capacity. For the development of an Integrated National Transportation System, the High Speed Rail system shall act as the spine with the roads as the ribs, and the two systems must be well articulated in order to work efficiently and effectively.
Additional information:
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