The Langkawi light rail maglev plan

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

Hello from Makassar. This is the last leg of my Indonesia rail research trip, and I fly out today. So far I have been to Sumatra and Java, and have met with the Department of Transport in Bali to discuss the proposed railways of Bali.

In Makassar, I took a ride on the Makassar-Pare Pare Railway which partially opened last year. This is the first section of a proposed Trans-Sulawesi Railway. I posted some photos here, and I will have a full report soon.

This week's feature article is about the proposed Langkawi LRT. I keep track of every urban transit proposal in Southeast Asia, no matter how unlikely. Sometimes these proposals are just politicians that are wishful thinking out loud, so I haven't covered every proposal in detail. In the case of the Langkawi LRT, an official study has been commissioned by the state government, so I have started a fact sheet to keep track of the project.

Latest posts at Future Southeast Asia

• Langkawi LRT: A proposed maglev from Kuah Ferry Terminal to Cenang Beach

News

• Belt and Road Initiative 11 years on: are Southeast Asia-China economic ties still going strong?

🇰🇭 Cambodia

• Cambodia says it will cut shipping through Vietnam by 70% with new China-funded Mekong canal

🇮🇩 Indonesia

• Indonesia targets completion of 41 national strategic projects in 2024

• Indonesia Secures $903 Million Japanese Loan to Extend MRT Project

🇱🇦 Laos

• Phase II of Mekong embankment project set for completion by end of 2025

• Japan boosts road repair efforts in Laos with new equipment handover

🇲🇾 Malaysia

• KL Sentral station redevelopment project to commence year-end, says Anthony Loke

• Penang needs to have LRT in order to reduce traffic congestion

• Govt to conduct study before extending ECRL to Rantau Panjang

• Malaysia's Johor eyes Shenzhen-style hub with Singapore, report says

• Johor govt now backs cheaper ART instead of RM16bil LRT

• Progress of ART depot in Rembus progressing steadily, says S’wak Metro

• Cabinet agrees to Kota Baru airport runway upgrade for international flights

🇵🇭 Philippines

• DOTr seeks council endorsement for UMRT study

“Commuters may soon have more transportation options if the feasibility study for the Metro Cebu Urban Mass Rapid Transit (UMRT) Central Line yields positive results.”

• Clark airport emphasizes viability with planned second runway

• Privatization of Iloilo Airport eyed in 2025

• DOTr eyes electric ferries, Manila Bay-Pasig River-Laguna de Bay route

🇹🇭 Thailand

• Suriya: Thai-Chinese high-speed railway on track to open in 2030

• Caution urged for Pattaya developers amid fears of a glut

• Manaporn defends Land Bridge plan

Here is my previous article on why the Thai Land Bridge is a bad idea.

• Twin-track railway to Chumphon fully operational 'by August'

• Calls to rekindle 'red car' service in Chiang Mai

"Chiang Mai tourism operators are urging the local government to help revive the transport service provided by the province's iconic rot daeng ("red cars") as more passengers have switched to other forms of transport."

• Phuket Highways Office assures Sarasin Bridge will stay

“Phuket Highways Office Chief Yutthana Phitak has confirmed that there are plans afoot to build a new bridge connecting Phuket to the mainland, but has assured that the famed Sarasin Bridge will not be demolished.”

• Launch of free Phuket Town electric bus delayed

🇻🇳 Vietnam

• HCMC strives to complete 183 kilometers of metro lines by 2035

They are saying they want 18.3 km of metro built every year for the next 10 years. For reference, Line 1 is 19.3 km and it has been under construction since 2012.

• Hanoi earmarks US$55.4 billion to build 600-km metro network by 2045

• Tunnel connecting urban railway lines to be built

“ The Hà Nội Department of Transport has just submitted an investment proposal and a pre-feasibility study report on a project to build a tunnel connecting two urban railway lines, No 2A and line No 3.”

In my 2023 Hanoi Metro report, I was disturbed to see the lack of planning regarding metro interchanges. The first line (Line 2A) and Line 3 (under construction) have stations at Cst Linh, but there is no obvious place to interchange.

Now they are discussing a pre-feasibility study to build a tunnel connecting the two stations. Why wasn’t this done at the start, especially when it was already known that the two stations would interchange?

• Bridge connecting Vietnam’s road with Laos, Thailand on brink of collapse

• Int'l tourist complexes abandoned in one of world's most beautiful bays in central Vietnam

• Ho Chi Minh City canal swamped with garbage