By Ng Pau Ling pauline@thestar.com.my

THE KL-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) that was expected to cut down the travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to 90 minutes through six stations were once deemed a game-changer, a growth catalyst for the property market.

Following the cancellation of the HSR project, this is a glance into some key projects that were initially set to located on or nearby to the HSR stations.

While some are expected to be significantly affected by the scrapping of the HSR project, some of the developments still hold great potential due to its unique selling points and other attractive features.

Bandar Malaysia Station

Bandar Malaysia@Sungai Besi
Land size: 486 acres
Type: Mixed-use Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)
Developer: TRX City Sdn Bhd (formerly known as 1MDB Real Estate Sdn Bhd)
Bandar Malaysia is a mega TOD located at former RMAF base in Sungai Besi. HSR station is at the heart of Bandar Malaysia, as the project is designed as a transportation hub that will link up MRT 2 and 3, KTM Komuter, ERL and HSR terminus.

TRX City Sdn Bhd was initially owned by 1MDB but it was taken over by Ministry of Finance (MoF) in 2016 to restructure the company’s balance sheet.

Bandar Malaysia’s advertisement in May 2015 stated that the project was to be commenced in 2017. However, no further plans were revealed by the developer.

Razak City Residences@Sungai Besi
Land size: 22 acres
Type: Mixed-use TOD
Developer: Akisama Group
RC Residences is a mixed development project comprising 12 residential towers with 5,758 units of serviced residences. The plan also includes 121 units of shop offices.

Situated adjacent to Bandar Malaysia, the major highlight of RC Residences is its proximity to the KL-Singapore High-Speed Rail.

Although the HSR project has been cancelled, the RC Residences still holds the attraction of sitting on a strategic location. It is within a short distance to Kuala Lumpur city centre and within walking distance to schools, Salak Selatan LRT and KTM station.

With an offering of over 5,000 units, the high density might be a concern for buyers.

Image from MyHSR Corp, the concept designs for the KL-SG HSR stations.

Sepang-Putrajaya Station
The proposed Sepang-Putrajaya HSR station is located in Precinct 14, next to Kampung Abu Bakar Baginda. This area is occupied by traditional Malay village homes. According to the original plan, more than 300 village houses within the area might be affected by the construction of HSR rail route.

Seremban Station
Malaysia Vision Valley (MVV)@Negri Sembilan
Land size: 379,000 acres
Developer: Sime Darby Property Bhd JV KWAP and Brunsfield Development
Launch in 2017, MVV is a mega project spanning from Nilai to Port Dickson, covering various industries including residential, healthcare, education and tourism sectors. It was poised to become the sixth economic corridor in the country and was said to attract RM290bil worth of investment over 30 years. The proposed HSR station at Labu was expected to provide greater accessibility to MVV.

Currently, MVV is still at its early stage. The infrastructure work to build the new Nilai-Labu-Enstek expressway has commenced on this Feb.

The proposed design for HSR Melaka station in Ayer Keroh.

Ayer Keroh Station
In Malacca, 73 units of “soon-to-be-completed” new houses in Taman Satu Krubong are saved from the requisition. IOI Properties who owned 1,338 acres of land near to the station did not announce any property plan within the area, although it was believed to be the “largest potential beneficiary” of the Ayer Keroh station.

Batu Pahat Station
Bandar Universiti Pagoh@off Pagoh Interchange
Land size: 4,082 acres
Type: Education hub
Developer: Sime Darby Property
Sime Darby Property, Malaysia’s largest developer regarding landbank size, has two mega township projects associated with the HSR station. Bandar Universiti Pagoh positioned itself as a “Higher Education Township”.  Phase 1 is completed in 2015 and currently houses four universities. Other components in the township include student villages, residences and shop offices. The estimated student population in this township is about 5,000 people.

Iskandar Puteri, Johor Bahru Station
Gerbang Nusajaya@Iskandar Puteri
Land size: 4,551 acres
Type: Integrated Urban Development
Developer: UEM Sunrise
Gerbang Nusajaya is the second phase of Iskandar Puteri comprising mixed components of residential, commercial and a tech park. The development has allocated 300 acres of land for the HSR stop and route alignment, including 70 acres of land to house the station.

***Following the cancellation of HSR, UEM Sunrise announced that they will review the transit-oriented plots to improve the connectivity between Johor and Singapore. The impact on Gerbang Nusajaya is expected to be minimal.

The scrapping of MRT 3 project

Besides HSR, another megaproject that has been axed is the MRT 3 line. The combined cost of this two projects worth RM105bil, with an RM110bil cost for the HSR and RM45bil for MRT 3.

MRT 3 is an urban circle rail line stretching 40km with 26 stations aiming to integrate all existing urban rail networks. The previous plan covered hotspots including Bandar Malaysia, Ampang, KL EcoCity, Bukit Kiara and Sentul.

Before the cancellation announcement, the MRT 3 is scheduled to hold a three-month public display of the railway scheme on end-June.