Tokyo pulls out all stops in tussle for high-speed train projects

Tokyo

JAPAN and China, along with several European countries, are tussling to sell high-speed rail (HSR) systems around the world but the main focus at present is on winning a contract to supply an HSR link between Singapore and Malaysia because of the high stakes this could involve for future systems.

Japan has submitted proposals for the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur corridor and is also interested in supplying HSR systems to Thailand and Vietnam, although it could face tough competition from China, which Japanese officials say is eager to supply much more extensive HSR networks linking several Asean countries, including Singapore and Malaysia, with Chinese networks.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak agreed last year to pursue a high speed rail link between their two countries. Malaysia has completed (although not yet published) a feasibility study on the project while such a study is still in process of being completed on the Sing…