Daily Briefing: Temasek offers $1.2b to buy out SMRT; HSR to benefit terminus cities

And it’s the end of the line for Singapore investors.

Singapore state investment firm Temasek Holdings Pte offered S$1.2 billion ($880 million) to buy out SMRT Corp., 16 years after the company became the first Asian subway operator outside of Japan to list shares. The S$1.68 a share proposal, an 8.7 percent premium from the last traded price, values the rail operator at S$2.6 billion. Read more here.

With travel time between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur cut to just 90 minutes, buying a second home or working in Malaysia will become a more attractive proposition for Singaporeans once the high-speed rail (HSR) is completed in 2026, said analysts who spoke to TODAYonline. The advantages brought forth by the link will most likely be reaped by the terminus cities, as property hunters, firms, workers and tourists zoom in on these two areas. Find out more here.

This is where shareholders in Singapore's subway network get off. And it doesn't matter if some of them can't quite see the platform. Leaving people stranded has become a hallmark of their company's operations in recent years. Like back in January 2008, and then twice over three days in December 2011 when two passengers fainted, and again in July last year. Read more here.