The map of Bangkok's proposed transit lines

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

Latest posts at Future Southeast Asia

• Bangkok M-MAP 2: Official map of future urban rail transit lines in Bangkok

• Technology contenders for the Vietnam high-speed railway

A list of countries that have offered to share high-speed railway technology with Vietnam.

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News

🇰🇭 Cambodia

• China tries to downplay 'nonsense' claims it pulled out of Cambodian canal project

• Highest bridge in Cambodia will open for temporary use next month

• Residents who lost homes to Mekong River want riverbanks reinforced, authorities say collapse caused by nature

• Project to improve quality of National Road No. 48 (Sre Ambel-Koh Kong) achieved 82.03%

🇮🇩 Indonesia

• Government plans 700 km sea wall from Banten to East Java

• Indonesia to continue infrastructure development despite challenges

• Indonesia's Nusantara development to continue until 2029

🇱🇦 Laos

• Chinese companies to launch land reclamation project in Champassak, Oudomxay

🇲🇾 Malaysia

• ECRL 78.5% completed: First phase to start operations in 2027

• Malaysia's ECRL: Sleepy port cities Klang and Kuantan eye makeover with new railway

• Malaysia's ECRL: Can Beijing-backed megaproject deliver on local development?

• Govt mulls LRT, ART systems to complement RTS Link in JB

• Penang to intensify infrastructure projects In 2025

• Perak to expand Sultan Azlan Shah Airport with RM60m boost to attract international flights

• Dr Zaliha: I will ensure KL residents get their park

• Penang to set up its first ‘aged-friendly’ park

 🇲🇲 Myanmar

• The China-Myanmar Economic Corridor and the limits of China’s BRI agency

• Cement shortages stifle Myanmar construction

🇵🇭 Philippines

• New tunnel boring machine for subway project launched

• New Mactan airport runway to boost CVs tourism – DOT

• SMC launches cleanup drive to address flooding at NAIA

"SMC’s “Better Rivers PH” initiative has removed 93,000 tons of silt and waste from Parañaque rivers as of Jan. 23".

• Samal-Davao bridge done by Sept 2028

• Politics caused delays of Davao projects intended to ease traffic, says councilor

• Mainstream use of bamboo in construction urged amid housing shortage and climate change

🇸🇬 Singapore

• MRT, LRT ridership surpasses pre-Covid-19 levels for first time in 2024

• The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, explained

"The project is intended to bring together Malaysia’s land and labor with Singaporean finance and investment."

• Singapore seeks innovation to transform the construction sector

🇹🇭 Thailand

• Thai cabinet approves Korat-Nong Khai high-speed rail

“Completion of second-phase will provide seamless travel from Bangkok to China by 2030.”

• B35bn Hat Yai-Sungai Kolok rail link eyed

“The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is seeking an 80-million-baht budget to conduct a feasibility study into a new double-track railway connecting Hat Yai in Songkhla with Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat.”

• Lower House approves ‘Joint Ticket’ draft

"Law centralising public transport ticketing system expected to be enacted by mid-2025 and come into effect by fourth quarter."

• Traffic relief in sight as Bangkok’s widest bridge opens to motorists

"The eight-lane cable-stayed Thotsamarachan Bridge is expected to reduce congestion in the Rama II area by up to 25%."

• Govt urged to declare U-Tapao, Eastern Aviation City duty-free zone

• Frequent Sidewalk Repairs in Pattaya and Bangkok – A result of rapid growth, weather, and heavy traffic

• Thailand orders crop burning crackdown as pollution spikes

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

• ASEAN’s new developmental divide

"The admission of Timor-Leste will recall quarter-century-old unease about the development gap within the association."

🇻🇳 Vietnam

• $8 billion Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway set to break ground by year-end

• Five key bridges set to break ground, unlocking new development for HCM City

• Progress on Hanoi’s metro: Second TBM set to drill 10 meters per day

• Biggest deepwater port cluster in northern Vietnam begins to take shape

• The most unlikely innovator in Vietnam: the post office

"From warehouse sorting robots to delivery drones, Viettel Post is pinning its hopes on tech as the salve to an inefficient logistics sector."

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