High-speed link for Kuala Lumpur and Singapore Naomi Bentley, a British expat living in Singapore, said: "Airlines may have to cut their ticket prices to compete with the new rail link, although flight times are still quicker at about 40 minutes. But once you factor in checking-in and boarding times it may actually be quicker to go by rail. In China, the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail link forced airlines to cut their prices on mainland routes by about 15 per cent. Already it has been estimated that around 400,000 commuters will use the link daily once it is running. It would be beneficial for Malaysian-based expats who want to work in Singapore but don't want to pay the sky-high rents that are becoming unavoidable in the city-state. Also, Singapore-based expats could find themselves relocated to Kuala Lumpur by companies looking to cut the expensive overheads of high salaries and office rents. Singapore is now one of the costliest cities in Asia to rent office space while salaries are expected to rise even further due to a severe labour shortage in key industries. This week in its annual budget statement, Singapore said it wants companies to rely less on foreign workers, which should tighten the labour market even more. It announced higher foreign worker levies along with lower quotas across a number of sectors. Deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said: "We cannot cut off the flow of foreign workers abruptly but we have to slow its growth."