Building a unified rail line from Singapore to China

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

Latest posts at Future Southeast Asia

• Myths and realities of the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link

Why there won’t be a high-speed railway from Singapore to China, and how Thailand and Malaysia have set back a truly unified system by years.

Support Future Southeast Asia News!

Become a paid subscriber and support Future Southeast Asia News.

It’s $5 a month or $50 a year, and your subscription will help keep this site running. Hit the upgrade button to subscribe.

News

🇰🇭 Cambodia

• Sihanoukville: rise and fall of a frontier city

• Will Cambodia’s Funan Techo canal be a success?

• China’s growing infrastructure projects in Cambodia and their geostrategic implications

🇮🇩 Indonesia

• Gov’t Splurges $1.2 Billion on New Capital So Far This Year

• My visit to Nusantara

Nusantara is now open for visitors, and this is the first trip report I have seen.

• Bali to get autonomous transit system to ease congestion: Minister (archive)

• Bali International Airshow: flying taxis expected in Bali by 2028

• 2,000 hectares of Bali’s rice fields disappear annually due to hotel development

• Amnesty International calls for halt to Rempang Eco City following more intimidation, violence against residents

🇱🇦 Laos

• Graphion Energy unveils 10-minute charging technology for electric motorcycles in Laos

• Broken traffic lights continue to plague Vientiane

🇲🇾 Malaysia

• Malaysia unveils zero tax for family offices in Forest City, in bid to revive Johor project

• Construction works for Penang Hill Cable Car project to start on Oct 15

• Urban Redevelopment Act doesn’t discriminate against Malays, says Kepong MP

 🇵🇭 Philippines

• San Miguel-led group remits P30 billion to govt after NAIA takeover

🇸🇬 Singapore

• The lead architect of Cross Island Line’s Tavistock MRT on what it takes to build an underground station

🇹🇭 Thailand

• SRT chief set high-speed rail deadline

“The State Railway of Thailand's (SRT) new director, Veeris Ammarapala, has been told to complete the high-speed Sino-Thai railway project by the first quarter of next year.”

The article also mentions the goal of clearing the SRT's 230-billion-baht debt (approximately 7 billion USD).

• 20-baht fare extension sought for Red Line

“Operator reports 50% increase in passengers since flat rate was introduced.”

• Airport expansions and upgrades planned over the next 5-10 years

• Most people confident of Bangkok’s drainage system in tackling floods

🇻🇳 Vietnam

• Politburo: North-South high-speed railway project highly necessary

"The Politburo has concluded that the North-South high-speed railway project is highly important and highly necessary infrastructure work."

• VN pushes for rapid progress on Lao Cai-Hanoi-Haiphong railway with China's help

"During a series of high-level talks in Nanning, China, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc solicited China's active support for the feasibility study of the standard-gauge railway line connecting Lao Cai, Hanoi, and Hai Phong."

• Vietnam to have 580 km of metro lines by 2035

• HCMC airport new terminal takes shape, set for early completion

• Binh Duong announces station connecting province with Ho Chi Minh City’s 1st metro line

• Samsung, several major firms pour billions of dollars into Vietnam’s Bac Ninh

• Urban area worth nearly 3 billion USD to be built in Dong Nai

• 100-year-old villa faces demolition for road project in southern Vietnam