KL construction report: Great skyscrapers, shame about the sidewalks

News #211: Surabaya HSR feasibility study, Vangvieng-Luang Prabang expressway, 2.5km underground link for Changi Airport, plan to build world’s tallest tower in Bangkok, and more

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

Hello from Bengkulu in Sumatra! I was in South Sumatra to check out the railway from Palembang to Lubuk Linggau. There is no railway to Bengkulu, so I had to get a shared car (apparently there is no bus). After having just crossed the mountain range along the western side of Sumatra I can see why there is no railway to the coast. It was a spectacular drive to get here, and I keep wondering why Indonesia can’t get its tourism act together. There is a plan to diversify tourism out of Bali with the 10 New Balis project, but that hasn’t worked out yet.

This week’s main article is my construction trip report for Kuala Lumpur. I’m a regular visitor to KL, and it’s always good to return and see what is new. It’s also disappointing to see new projects being built without any consideration for improving pedestrian access in the city.

Latest posts at Future Southeast Asia

This is a summary of the major construction projects in Kuala Lumpur that I visited in April 2024.

News

🇰🇭 Cambodia

“Cambodia is slated to receive an 11-carriage train from Japan that can reach up to 110 km/h, expected to vastly improve the Kingdom’s rail system.”

🇮🇩 Indonesia

🇱🇦 Laos

🇲🇾 Malaysia

 🇵🇭 Philippines

“Diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) is delaying development works at its Bulacan airport project by about a year to focus on the modernization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).”

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇹🇭 Thailand

“A group of investors led by a Dubai-based real estate developer is in talks to build a mixed-use tower in Thailand that may vie for the title of the world’s tallest building, according to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.”

🇻🇳 Vietnam

Reply

or to participate.