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Transport and urban development in Southeast Asia. Dispatches from my travels in the region, and news about future city development, transport, and infrastructure.

News: 5 July 2023

Bangkok monorail review, a transit system for Vung Tau, Phnom Penh airport railway, map of land reclamation in Singapore, more delays for Bangkok's 3-airport rail link, and more.

James Clark

Jul 5, 2023

Hello from Ho Chi Minh City! While I’m back at my unofficial home base I’m tinkering around with the site format to see what I can improve. I also have a guest post this week, which bought me some time to work on some longer articles.

Latest posts at Future Southeast Asia

Guest Post: Bangkok Yellow Line: A review of the first monorail in Thailand

I have spent about 3 months in Thailand this year, and I was expecting to be able to see the opening of the Yellow Line monorail in that time. It turns out that it opened just as I left. Luckily Our Man In Bangkok Greg Jorgensen was able to go, and he has put together this great report on the good, the bad, and the meh of the first monorail in Thailand.

Ba Ria – Vung Tau planning three urban railway lines

I curate articles from English news sites in the region, which covers most of the news. There are stories that slip through though, so I am looking for a way to catch stories of interest in local media. One news article that slipped my attention in May was this report of a proposed 3-line transit system in Vung Tau. I have posted a translation of the original article.

Vung Tau is a coastal city near Saigon, and like Pattaya is to Bangkok, Vung Tau is a popular weekend escape for Saigonese. I will be looking for more information about this, including maps.

News Extra

Future Southeast Asia News Extra

This week I’ve added a new feature for paid subscribers: News Extra. I will be posting a collection of short-form news editorial here, which might form longer articles in the future. The main thing is to get the ideas out there rather than languishing in my draft folder. This week’s topics include:

- Getting train tourists beyond Luang Prabang

- Hanoi bike ban

- In Vietnam the planes before trains is insane,

- Why people like old towns

- The overdevelopment of Da Lat

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- The hills of Da Lat covered in greenhouses, as featured in News Extra.

News

Urban floods

There have been a bunch of stories about urban flooding recently, so I will group them together. Last week I posted about how Da Lat flooded after 30-minute rain.

• Vientiane Capital suffers flash floods due to poor drainage and infrastructure maintenance

• Battering rainfall: PP still reeling from flash floods caused by Monday’s deluge

• Penang island hit by flash floods after early morning downpour

🇰🇭 Cambodia

• Rail links from capital to new airport, AEON 3 mulled

“The government is looking to build a light rail line, potentially underground, that would run from the currently under-construction Techo International Airport (TIA) to Phnom Penh, possibly with a station at or near AEON MALL Mean Chey – popularly known as AEON 3 – in a bid to bolster tourism.”

Note for Phnom Penh Post: TIA is the AITA airport code for Tirana International Airport.

• New port opens in Koh Kong

• Koh Pich-Koh Norea bridge construction to wrap up in November

“The Philippine National Railways (PNR) will halt operations in December 2023 to give way for the construction of the ₱873.6 billion North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project.”

• ADB approves landmark $1 billion loan to support low-carbon public transport in the Philippines

• ‘Biggest project in Pasig’s history’: Vico unveils city hall complex construction plan

• Metro Manila still among the least liveable cities in the world

• Flood control projects in Metro Manila left unfinished – COA

• Ilocos Norte eyes expropriating lands for airport expansion

• NAIA Terminal 2 back as domestic gateway

• BI: Airport expansion needed amid int'l traveler influx at NAIA

• DOTr to spend P933 million for Philippines new bike lanes

• Cost of mobility: As prices bite, some consumers turn to active transport

🇸🇬 Singapore

• Road tunnel portion of North-South Corridor delayed by two years to 2029

• Making a map of land reclamation in Singapore

• For future land use, Singapore could deforest area larger than its nature reserves and parks combined: study

🇹🇭 Thailand

• Construction of high-speed railway linking three airports delayed by a year: EEC

• Pink Line test runs check safety

• AOT investing billions in its six airports to prepare for surge in passengers

• Plan to build 7.4-billion-baht high-class cruise ship port in Pattaya to be proposed to Thai cabinet

• AI cams to help clear zebra crossings

• Taps run dry on Thai island as tourism boom worsens water shortage (Koh Samui)

• SRT looking at electric train purchase plan

“The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) proposes changing a plan to procure 184 diesel locomotives in favour of electric trains.”

• SRT looks to shift Makkasan repair yard in rejig

"The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is looking to relocate its locomotive maintenance and production facilities within a 200km radius of Bangkok. SRT governor Nirut Maneephan said the present facility in the Makkasan area will be developed into a mixed-used complex -- a public park, SRT museum, and a city station for the high-speed rail service connecting Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao airports."

I have a page that is archiving the history of the Makkasan Train Factory Redevelopment

• Rethink after shady street lamp buys

“A fresh effort is under way to ensure accountability and transparency in any new local administrative organisation procurement projects and installation of so-called sculptural street lights.”

• Failed Expo bid threatens to slow down Phuket tunnels, light rail