The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (KL-SG HSR) project is under review following the election of a new government in Putrajaya led by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Whatever the outcome, there is one issue that needs to be looked at more closely: profitability.

The project’s profitability will depend on the extent of regional economic integration – the free movement of people, labour, goods and capital across national borders – as well as how urban agglomeration unfolds within ASEAN.

…Dr Tomoo Kikuchi is a visiting senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.