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Rail transport in Singapore exists in three main types, namely an international rail connection operated by Malaysian company Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), a rapid transit system collectively known as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system operated by the two biggest public transport operators SMRT Trains (SMRT Corporation) and SBS Transit, as well as several Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines also operated by both companies. In addition, local specialised light rail lines are in operation in places such as the Singapore Changi Airport and Sentosa. ==International rail network== The sole mainline railway line providing direct international connections is operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu or Malayan Railway, with services formerly commencing from the Tanjong Pagar railway station in southern Singapore. The present single track line is 1 (formerly 36.8) km long, with a gauge of , and had proceeded north through Bukit Timah, before crossing the 1.2 km causeway to Johor Bahru on the Malay Peninsula, where it then runs along the peninsula's west coast through Kuala Lumpur and onwards to Thailand and beyond. A railway system dating back to the British colonial era,〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=火车轨道一站一站看 )〕 it is now considered inadequate in meeting contemporary transport requirements. Both goods and passengers would have originally arrived by ship and hence the railway terminates at Tanjong Pagar, where port operations are still concentrated. There was similarly a branch line which leads to the Jurong industrial area, but which has since been expunged. The development of an efficient transport network in Singapore, and the containerisation of maritime trade globally meant that the existing rail system no longer played a significant part in the ferrying of goods, and is now catered primarily for passenger transport. Over time, however, the rail service was once again unable to compete effectively with modernising modes of alternative transport. The high frequency of air shuttle services between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur presented a much faster and more comfortable means of transport despite the high prices. From February 2008, partial deregulation of air travel between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur was introduced, and with full deregulation from December 2008 air fares are currently (April 2009) relatively low. However, the convenience of air travel should not be overestimated; typical time from Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station to City Centre of Singapore (via the low cost terminals at each airport) is around five hours. Moreover, the opening of the North-South Expressway in Malaysia from the late 1980s drastically cut travel time by private car or coaches to around five to five-and-a-half hours from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. In the light of this, the Malaysian government is currently undertaking plans to upgrade the railway system to an electrified, double-tracked and express line, but it will not be extended to Singapore. As a result of the agreements leading up to the independence of Singapore, the land on which the railway ran on was owned by KTM, and would remain so as long as the rail system was in operation. This arrangement had erupted into several spates of diplomatic disputes between the two countries. Land-scarce Singapore was keen to move the railway station to either Woodlands or Kranji, thus freeing up large tracts of land for redevelopment. In return, the Singaporean government was willing to offer a plot of prime land in the Marina Bay area for development by the Malaysians, although this concession was not required according to the original agreements. The negotiations were stalled, however, when the Malaysians were unimpressed with the compensation amount, and expressed concern over accessibility should the railway station be moved further from the city centre. Resolution was reached in May 2010 with the agreements endorsed on June 2011. From 1 July 2011, the only KTM railway terminal and station in Singapore is the Woodlands Train Checkpoint. Plans to build a high-speed rail link between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur have been mooted in recent years, in particular Kuala Lumpur–Singapore High Speed Rail of YTL Corporation Berhad, with the possibility of cutting travel time between the two cities from seven hours currently on existing rail lines, to about 90 minutes.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Singapore open to proposals on bullet train between KL and S'pore )〕 In 2013, Singapore and Malaysia officially agreed to build a high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore by 2020 at a meeting between Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak in Singapore. Malaysia's Land Public Transport Commission chairman, Syed Hamid Albar, announced the stops in Malaysia for the high speed railway. The seven stops are namely, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Seremban, Ayer Keroh, Muar, Batu Pahat and Nusajaya The Singapore government is still considering Tuas West, Jurong East or the Downtown Core to site the Singapore station. The construction of the railway is expected to start in late 2016.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=KL-Singapore high speed rail project to start in 2016 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rail transport in Singapore」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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