It is ultimately to provide a northern route through to Osaka. Conventional routes planned in 1973 are on hold (to be built after current lines opening). Further Hokkaido Shinkansen extension was proposed in 1970s, even to Russian border via possible tunnel, tunnel to South Korea is also proposed. Kazakhstan Qazaqstan Temir Zholy, the national rail company of Kazakhstan, has awarded a contract to oversee the design and construction of a high-speed line from Nur-Sultan (the country's capital) to Almaty (its largest city). The line is expected to be long, and will travel via Karaganda and Balkhash. A viaduct across Lake Balkhash is planned near Sayaq. The trains are expected by be built by Tulpar-Talgo (a joint venture established in 2011 between Qazaqstan Temir Zholy and Spanish company Talgo), and will have a maximum speed of , completing the trip in five and a half hours. The system will use Russian gauge, the same as used by Kazakhstan's existing conventional lines. In 2021, the Kazak Prime Minister Asqar Mamin announced plans to extend the high-speed rail line terminating in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, across the border to Shymkent and Turkistan. North Korea North Korea does not have a high-speed railway. Attempts were made in the 1970s to speed-up its network, when one electric trainset (using the bullet-train design) was built. However, the trainset never had regular services, due to the troubling economic crisis following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In the 2000s, the Chinese government proposed a high-speed railway for the DPRK, but these proposals are still too far from planning or construction stage. Changes in foreign policy in during 2017 and 2018 encouraged both Koreas to start international railway projects. The Chairman of the State Affairs Commission has shown interest in high-speed rail technology Malaysia A high-speed rail running at 300 km/h (186 mph) to link Kuala Lumpur and Singapore was proposed in 2006 by YTL Corporation, operator of the KLIA Express in Malaysia, although the company did propose a similar system back in the late 1990s. Plans for the project were put on hold in April 2008 due to high cost to the government, estimated at RM8 billion. The project also faces opposition from rail operator rivals such as Keretapi Tanah Melayu, and the liberalisation of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore air route further dampened prospects for the proposal. In 2007, Siemens expressed interest in becoming the technology provider for the proposed