New train between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur will slice travel to a blazing 90 minutes

Singapore and Malaysia will build a high-speed rail linking the smaller island to Malaysia's capital of Kuala Lumpur, its governments have announced.

The 350km line will shoot travellers at a top speed of 300km/h, allowing someone to go from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur in just 90 minutes.

The equivalent journey takes about five hours by car on the highway, and 11 hours across existing train services, estimates Channel News Asia.

Flying between the two cities takes just under an hour, but travellers spend additional time checking in and waiting to board, which can stretch travel time to several hours.

The project will be funded by both governments, but Malaysia will take the bulk of the cost, as most of the line runs through its territory. Only 15km of the tracks will run through Singapore.

The overall project is expected to cost about 50 billion ringgit (US$12 billion), and the governments will appoint two train companies to build the long-awaited rail.

Construction is expected to start in 2018, and will run to 2025, before the public can use the system in 2026.