Asia embraces bullet trains as Singapore-Malaysia deal looms

SINGAPORE (July 18): Asia is embracing bullet trains like never before.

Singapore and Malaysia are set to sign an agreement Tuesday that will bring a high-speed rail link to Kuala Lumpur one step closer to reality. That follows a US$5.5 billion ($7.4 billion) project already underway in Indonesia while India last year chose Japan to build a US$15 billion network, its first.

Asian nations are modernising their transport infrastructure while China has set up the world’s biggest high-speed rail network. Japan has been running bullet trains for more than five decades now. As countries embrace the latest technology, it’s also pitting Chinese and Japanese manufacturers of super-fast trains against rivals such as Siemens AG and Bombardier Inc.

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