Future railways of Southeast Asia

Penang construction report, first section of Sulawesi Railway is officially open, riding every MRT line in Singapore, and helicopters for Sa Pa.

Apr 5, 2023

Hello from Ho Chi Minh City! I’ve been researching railways in Vietnam, which lead me to this week’s article about railways under construction in Southeast Asia. As you can see from the table, Vietnam is the laggard of the pack.

Speaking of railways, last week I launched the

Southeast Asia Railways

newsletter, which is more travel-oriented than this newsletter. Sign up for monthly updates.

For paid subscribers, I have a construction report for Penang.

Latest posts at Future Southeast Asia

Future Railways: Proposed and under-construction railways in Southeast Asia

Dispatches from Southeast Asia

Penang construction update (2023 edition)[Upgrade subscription to read]

Trip report for my visit to Penang in March 2023. New hotels questionably close to the old town, an endangered historic cinema, and land reclamation mania.

News

• Malaysia’s Anwar urges China to reenergize Belt and Road plan

• Building energy-efficient homes in the tropics requires urban planning and suitable design, experts say

News from my homeland that could be applied to Southeast Asia.

Related to this news is this short video.

The Laos-Vietnam Railway will bring more convenient transport conditions for Asia-Potash

🇲🇾 Malaysia

• Malaysia's Anwar meets Xi, likely to seek China help for rail link

• Forest City not a failed project, says developer

• Penang in discussions with Putrajaya to fund its Bayan Lepas LRT project

• S’pore-listed property developer Hatten Land plans to restart work on Melaka project after years of delays

• MRL: Progress of construction work of ECRL project in Terengganu has reached more than 50pc

• MOT, Johor agree to prioritise JB-Singapore RTS link, Gemas-JB double-tracking

• PIA new multi-storey carpark begins operations today

I was in Penang last month so I didn’t get to check this out. Commenters are pointing out that there is no bridge to connect the car park to the airport.

• The need for a great city in the east

“Building a new city in east Malaysia can help ensure Sabah and Sarawak do not orbit around Nusantara.”

• PJ residents express frustration over congested inner roads

• Malaysian woman documents daily commute, goes through horrifying walkways

• Old buildings recall Ipoh’s vibrant past