Calling on all wanderlusters! You’re gonna want to pay close attention to this..
The Bandar Malaysia project is finally coming to life and has already been billed as the world’s largest underground city with high-speed rail networks, accessing up to 7 countries in Asia.
Modelled after Montreal’s Underground City, the development will include a shopping mall (surprise, surprise), canals, indoor theme parks, cultural centres, indoor gardens, a financial centre and a glitzy RM8.3 billion regional headquarters for China Railway Group, who helms 60% of the with Iskandar Waterfront Holdings (IWH) in a consortium. So far, we’ve only got artists’ impressions of how Bandar Malaysia will look like. But there’s no denying that it looks pretty great.
The Bandar Malaysia district is being developed about 7km from the city centre where the old Sungai Besi Airport is based. According to Iskandar Waterfront Holdings chairman, Lim Kang Hoo, the expected gross development cost of the project is RM160 billion and it is projected to be complete over the next 20 years.
The consortium has reportedly sent teams to Montreal, Canada to study how Montreal’s Underground City was built.
With plans to connect China, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Singapore through Bandar Malaysia, China hopes to also connect 65 countries together within its high-speed rail network – like a modern-day “Silk Road”.
According to Malaysia’s Second Minister for International Trade and Industry, Ong Ka Chuan, if ASEAN countries are able to work together under China’s New Silk Road policy where it links up our rail and port infrastructures with China, there will be a lot of advantages.
If Bandar Malaysia falls into place accordingly, this will be big for travel junkies everywhere – easier access to various countries and, quite possibly, cheaper than flying.
What do you think of the Bandar Malaysia development? Let us know your thoughts on this mega development! 🙂
