Singapore-KL high-speed link may cut flight prices by half

Image Source: www.asiaone.com

SINGAPORE/MALAYSIA - Fares for flights between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur could fall by close to 50 per cent once a new high-speed rail link is up, said an expert, who predicted that travellers will favour wheels to wings, in line with the situation in other countries.

Singapore and Malaysia announced last month that they have agreed to build a high-speed railway link by 2020 that will cut travel time between Malaysia's capital and Singapore to just 90 minutes.
While flight time between the two cities is only about an hour, the travel time for most passengers goes up to three or four hours after taking into account travel to and from airports, and check-in and immigration procedures. Travel by coach takes about five hours.

"What we have seen in other countries after the introduction of a high-speed rail is that airfares dropped by almost 50 per cent due to intense competition," said Ms Cindy Chua, head of client management of corporate-services provider Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) Singapore.
Now, airfares for close to 30 direct flights between Singapore and KL each day can go below $100, or up to over $300 for full-service airlines.