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Transport and urban development in Southeast Asia. Dispatches from my travels in the region, and news about future city development, transport, and infrastructure.

News: 19 October 2022

Latest Post: Southeast Asia Railways Report – 2022 edition. Dispatches: Thoughts on metro systems on a visa run to KL. News: Kuantan Skytrain, Koh Lanta Bridge, Hanoi Metro 6, and more

James Clark

Oct 19, 2022

Latest posts at Future Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia Railways Report – 2022 edition

This is a roundup of major rail projects over the last 12 months in Southeast Asia.

Dispatches from Southeast Asia: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Thoughts on metro systems on a visa run to KL

Thoughts on metro systems in Southeast Asia, and my mission of railway expansion in ASEAN.

"Khon Phapheng and Somphamit or Li Phi falls will be developed with an estimated construction value of USD 500,000."

[Updated: Four Thousand Islands New Area]

• Laos-China Railway to develop cross-border transportation to China

🇲🇾 Malaysia

• Orang Asli rail against ECRL, say heritage will be destroyed

[Updated: East Coast Rail Link]

• Imagine if Nusantara had been built closer to KL

This was an interesting perspective. I get that Nusantara is physically close to the geographic centre of Indonesia. I think a better question would be, why not make Batam a world-class city instead of the unplanned mish-mash of developments that is happening across the island.

• Penang finally approves setting up state heritage council after six-year delay

• Pahang govt signs MoU for Kuantan skytrain development project

This is a new proposal, so I have added it to the urban rail transit list.

🇵🇭 Philippines

• US envoy offers support for Mindanao Railway Project

• Cayetano: Why not split Naia into Marcos and Aquino biz parks?

🇸🇬 Singapore

• Amid Singapore’s reopening boom, city’s vaunted ‘affordable public housing’ leaves citizens feeling priced out

• 600,000 public transport vouchers available from Dec 28 to help with fare hike

🇹🇭 Thailand

• Rail projects sped up to reduce costs

”The government is accelerating the construction of the second phase of the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail linking Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai and the double-track rail route linking Khon Kaen to Nong Khai worth a combined 330 billion baht as it aims to reduce logistics costs to 11% of GDP by 2027 from 13.8% in 2021.”

Thailand is building two separate railway lines next to each other. One is the double-tracking of the old metre-gauge line, and one is the new standard-gauge high-speed railway. I have already written about this mixed-gauge mess. A consolidation of the line into a modern standard gauge would have saved more money.

[Updated: Bangkok–Nong Khai High-Speed Railway]

• Thai Cabinet approves ฿6.6bn for two new bridges in the South

“The Thai cabinet approved 6.6 billion baht on Tuesday for the construction of two bridges, over Songkhla Lake to link Krasae Sin district with Khao Chaison district of Phatthalung, and the other to connect Lanta and Lanta Noi islands in the Andaman Sea, in the southern province of Krabi.”

• Old Phuket Prison to be turned into public park

• Phuket light rail project derailed once again

[Updated: Phuket Light Rail]

• Pattaya residents complain about condition of wooden beach “boardwalk” area