A proposed Bombay-to-Singapore railway shows why strategic infrastructure cannot be judged solely by its peacetime return. The route would face mountain ranges and difficult terrain, while shipping already provided an economical connection across the Indian Ocean. Its military value would lie in a continuous link through India and Burma, carrying rice as well as troops and avoiding transfers between trains and ships. Existing railways were often better at connecting inland production with ports than at moving traffic across the country between coastal regions. Similar security arguments apply to railway investment in Australia, Britain, South Africa, and elsewhere in Africa. A route that takes decades to repay its commercial cost could justify that expense through its usefulness in one wartime emergency.
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Railways as a military mobility reserve
A Bombay-to-Singapore railway would face difficult terrain and weak commercial justification, but it could provide faster movement of troops and food in a wartime emergency.