But as usual, the devil is in the details. Will travel be as seamless as one might think? This depends on where planners decide to situate the terminus at the Singapore-end. Will it terminate at Woodlands, or will it terminate closer to the city/Marina Bay?
One might recall the Thomson Line (TSL) announced last September. Curiously, the Woodlands North station alignment as released by LTA has an unusually large footprint compared to the other Thomson Line stations. The TSL runs on a 4-car system and such a large footprint as a station must mean the planners have other plans for it. However, if the HSR terminates in Woodlands, the time savings might be undone because a traveller going to to the city will still have to take the Thomson Line MRT down, a journey which takes 50 minutes.
Perhaps the better view would be for the large station footprint at Woodlands North to accommodate the new Rapid Transport System linking Woodlands to Johor. This was also announced at the retreat, although much less attention was given to it.
Regardless, the introduction of the HSR is a game changer for the region. Thailand and China have reportedly entered into discussions for a high speed rail as well. If all goes well we could see a SG-KL-BKK-China route in the future.
Update: I am more inclined to think that planners will situate the terminal in the Tanjong Pagar-Marina Bay vicinity. Whether there is sufficient space for the HSR station depends on the upcoming Master Plan. The other important question is whether there should be stops in other parts of Singapore. On the one hand, stopping at say Jurong or Seletar will help attract investment and development to these areas further promoting our decentralisation plan in the Land Use Plan. On the other hand, this increases the travel time and more land space will need to be taken up for multiple stations.
For now, let us wait for details and hope that bilateral ties remain strong enough for the project to be seen to its completion smoothly.
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