Reviving the Songkhla Railway in Southern Thailand

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

Hello from Hanoi! It’s good to be back, though it has not been without drama. I had some visa issues which delayed my trip. As a result, this is a shorter visit to Hanoi than planned.

I visited the new Line 3 of the Hanoi Metro and took another ride on the first line (Line 2A), and I will compare the 2 lines in an upcoming report.

Latest posts at Future Southeast Asia

• Hat Yai – Songkhla Railway

The Hat Yai – Songkhla Railway is a proposal to revive the old Hat Yai to Songkhla railway line in Southern Thailand.

• Southeast Asia Railways Report (2024) (Subscriber report)

Trans-Borneo high-speed railway, a year of high-speed rail in Java, the unlikely city with two international railway stations, Thailand's mixed-gauge expansion continues, and Vietnam's ambitious North-South high-speed railway plan.

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News

🇧🇳 Brunei

• Muara Port expansion project set to boost Brunei’s trade and logistics capacity

🇰🇭 Cambodia

• Bassac River Crossing Project (Chak Angre Krom – Prek Pra) achieves 14% completion

• First-ever Cambodian cable car project being explored in Kampot

• Op-Ed: Phnom Penh needs a long-term, grassroots strategy to transform sidewalks

🇮🇩 Indonesia

• Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway transports 5.79 mln passengers in first year

• Jokowi and Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway

🇱🇦 Laos

• S. Korea pleased to support Laos as vital logistics hub

"South Korea is pleased to consider Laos’ proposal for assistance with the construction of the Hanoi-Vientiane Expressway and the Vientiane-Vung Ang Railway."

• Vang Vieng to undergo major urban renewal with ADB grant

• Chery Bus exports first batch of electric buses to Laos

🇲🇾 Malaysia

• Govt pivots from mega to public interest projects

• ECRL construction in Kelantan on track at 83.27pc, set for July 2025 completion, passenger service to start 2027, says state public works director

• RM1 billion Penang International Airport expansion project kicks off

• Silicon Island project tied to foul odour, sludge at Penang's Pantai Esen

• Sarawak advancing transport links with Trans-Borneo Railway feasibility study, expected to bolster eco-tourism, trade and regional connectivity

• Forest City to become free trade zone to boost local economy, tourism

• Budget 2025 must ensure all cities, towns have accessible public transport

• Proposed railway line from Kudat to Kota Kinabalu: a mountain to climb

Kudat is at the northern tip of Borneo.

🇵🇭 Philippines

• Competition Commission approves joint venture to develop Sangley Point airport

• Manila airport fee hikes draw pushback ahead of revamp push

• DOTr eyes over 3-fold increase in railway tracks by 2030s

• Manila's car counters help address 'world's worst traffic'

• Central Luzon set to become super region’- Bulacan Gov. Fernando

• Mactan-Cebu airport sets bold goal for zero carbon emissions by 2050

🇸🇬 Singapore

• 14,000 homes to be built in new housing areas at Sembawang North and Woodlands North Coast

• First two housing sites in Bukit Timah Turf City can have up to 700 homes: Analysts

• Singapore gives conditional nod to import solar power from Australia via 4,300km of subsea cables

• Surbana Jurong warns that mega-projects such as Changi Airport Terminal 5 could elevate construction costs in Singapore

🇹🇭 Thailand

• B40-50 congestion charge on inner-Bangkok streets

"The government plans to impose a congestion charge of 40-50 baht on motorists who enter inner Bangkok streets to raise money to subsidise a flat 20-baht fare policy for all electric rail lines in Greater Bangkok."

• Cabinet set to approve new contract for rail project linking 3 airports

• EEC ready to consider revising high-speed rail plan for U-Tapao Airport

• Govt casts eye over airport construction

"The House Committee for Transportation is closely following the construction of Andaman International Airport in Phangnga, scheduled to open by 2030."

• Thailand’s Riviera takes shape: 515km ready as more phases planned

"The Rural Roads Department has completed the first phase of the 950km-long scenic coastal road project spanning 12 provinces from Samut Prakan to Narathiwat."

• Why Thailand failed to escape the middle-income trap (archive)

"Despite early success, Thailand’s growth has stagnated – as flashy developments siphon resources away from innovation and productivity."

🇻🇳 Vietnam

• Vietnam estimates cost of new railway link with China at $7.2 billion

• Government proposes using national budget for north-south high-speed railway

• Mekong Delta expressway system set for tenfold expansion by 2030

• Da Nang’s $30.2mil resort project stalled & abandoned along pristine coastline

• Ho Chi Minh City introduces landmark pedestrian bridge across Saigon River

• What is behind Vietnam's economic success story?

"The World Bank has forecast that Vietnam will show the strongest growth of the emerging economies in Southeast Asia."

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