Hanoi's future not-very-central high-speed railway station

The Future Southeast Asia Newsletter features transport and urban development news in Southeast Asia, edited by James Clark.

Welcome to issue #205 of the Future Southeast Asia Newsletter. I'm still in Australia (which has been great), but I am looking forward to getting back on the road in Southeast Asia.

Travel plans and meetups

While I have been in Australia I have been planning a research trip for Future Southeast Asia. I might have been too ambitious in my schedule, which is what happens when you are sitting around for too long dreaming about travel.  We shall see how far into the trip I get.

I have previously mentioned arranging reader meetups, and here are some dates I will be available for meetups:

Ho Chi Minh City: 22-27 March

Danang: 4-8 April

Kuala Lumpur: 10-13 April

Singapore: 17-18 April

If you are in those cities and would like to meet up, let me know!

Latest posts at Future Southeast Asia

• Ngoc Hoi Railway Station: The Hanoi station for the North-South high-speed railway

Ngoc Hoi Railway Station is the proposed Hanoi station for the North-South high-speed railway of Vietnam.

News Extra

News Extra is the bonus section for paid subscribers. This features extra editorial on news and notes from my travels around Southeast Asia.

• News Extra: 7 March 2024

The Green Lung of Saigon, building better cities in Indonesia, and another good reason why Vietnam needs a high-speed railway.

News

🇰🇭 Cambodia

• $36B infrastructure plan revealed

“The plan prioritises 174 projects, with an estimated investment value of $36.68 billion. It includes 94 road, eight railway, 23 waterway, 20 sea and 10 air transport projects, as well as 15 logistics and four other infrastructure development ventures.”

• Cambodia to divert Mekong trade via China-built canal, vexing Vietnam

• Techo Int’l Airport to complete construction in Oct

• $574M S’ville construction project sign of ‘rebound’

• Japanese delegation interested in Cambodia’s affordable housing project

• Vietnam and Cambodia promote transport connectivity

• Cambodia registers 604 new EVs in 2023

🇮🇩 Indonesia

• Deep in the jungles of Borneo, Indonesia's president has created a $45 billion headache for his successors

• Indonesia devising up plans to revitalize historic train stations

• LRT Jabodebek Serves 7mn Passengers in 6 Months of Operation

🇱🇦 Laos

• Electricity exports propel Laos to trade surplus, marking record growth

• Vietnamese, Lao provinces consider building joint cross-border economic zone

🇲🇾 Malaysia

• Malaysia revives 'ambitious' high-speed rail plan amid hurdles

• ECRL hits new milestone with the completion of three tunnel excavations in Bentong district

• Kon Yeow: Penang to meet MAHB over RM1b airport expansion project

• Carey Island port will position Malaysia as the preferred regional investment destination 

• Anthony Loke says Transport Ministry to go ahead with Ipoh integrated railway station plan

• Loke: No plans to build new airport in KK

• Sarawak unveils RM6.1bil North Coastal Highway project

• Sarawak to award ART Green Line, take over MASwings soon

• "Raise the editor's salary!" — Malaysians can't get enough of Rapid KL's hilarious memes

🇲🇲 Myanmar

• Shwe Kokko new city project continues in the midst of erratic power supply and decline in internet connectivity

🇵🇭 Philippines

• PNR to stop operations starting March 28 to give way for NSCR construction

• Villafuerte’s Proposal: Bullet Trains For Philippines’ Railway ‘Renaissance’

• Metro Manila Subway on track for 2029 partial ops

• Right-of-way issues hound Metro Manila subway–DOTr

• Over 100 US firms interested to invest in Clark –BCDA

🇸🇬 Singapore

• Delayed opening of TEL Stage 5 irks some residents; others resigned to the longer wait

• Singapore Indoor Stadium set to be replaced by new state-of-the-art indoor arena to be built next to it

• S$1 billion set aside to make S'pore streets pedestrian-friendly, build more covered linkways & lifts for overhead bridges

• Jurong Island Terminal to be expanded by 2025 to meet growing demand

• 290 escalators at MRT stations on North-South, East-West, North East lines to be upgraded

🇹🇭 Thailand

• Italian-Thai development in crisis with 100 billion baht debt

• Ratchaprasong applies AI model to ease traffic

“The government has rolled out the "Ratchaprasong Model" project, which makes use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to solve traffic jams in the Ratchaprasong area, one of the most congested business districts in the capital and also a tourist hotspot.”

• Suvarnabhumi can shine again

• Govt touts Land Bridge to top French firms

• Bangkok replaces non-air-conditioned buses with EVs

• PM announces plans for a mid-sea airport in Hua Hin

• Will Bangkok’s mission to clear footpaths ruin street-food paradise?

🇻🇳 Vietnam

• Vietnam aims to mobilize foreign capital for 30% of $67 bln high-speed railway

• Design of a new railway from Lao Cai to Quang Ninh with a speed of up to 160km/h

• Dak Lak and Phu Yen proposed to build a railway and highway connecting the two provinces

• $67M conservation planned for Hoi An

• Why XanhSM Might Dethrone Grab in Vietnam

“Southeast Asia’s ride-hailing giant Grab has a new serious competitor in Vietnam. XanhSM, also known as GreenSM in international markets, has rapidly expanded by offering more secure employment and lower costs for drivers, and achieving high client satisfaction. But turning a profit will be challenging.”

• A glimpse into Vietnam's oldest industrial park before it's gone