Future Southeast Asia News #277

Thoughts on a Pan-Philippine Railway, new bridge planned between Cambodia and Laos, Greater Bandung LRT, proposed second rail link between Johor and Singapore, work on Bangkok Purple Line river tunnel begins, rail lines planned to connect Greater HCMC airports

Author

James Clark
August 06, 2025

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

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This week, I published two articles related to high-speed rail in the Philippines. Before you get too excited, there is no plan for a high-speed railway. There have been some half-baked proposals over the years, so the first article is a fact sheet that I will keep updated with any news updates. The second article explains what it would take to build a Pan-Philippine Railway (high-speed or not).

There is no official plan for a high-speed railway in the Philippines, but there have been various proposals made by elected officials and the private sector.

Philippines HSR Concept Map by mpgonz

Is it possible to build a high-speed railway from Manila to Davao, and should the Philippines build such a railway?

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News

🇧🇳 Brunei

🇰🇭 Cambodia

"...the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic are expediting the site selection process for the Ropov River bridge, which will connect Preah Vihear province in Cambodia with Champasak province in Laos."

🇮🇩 Indonesia

"Jakarta City Council's Commission D Member, Ali Lubis supports the Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung's plan to arrange the Ciliwung River at West Flood Canal as the public and recreation space."

"The traffic jam leading to Ketapang Port stretched at least 5 kilometers on Monday, 9 km on Sunday and around 25 km on Friday. At its worst, on July 25, the congestion extended 42 km, reaching as far as Badjulmati Dam in Situbondo Regency."

🇱🇦 Laos

🇲🇾 Malaysia

"The Johor government has proposed the construction of a second Rapid Transit System (RTS2) link connecting Iskandar Puteri in Johor and Tuas in Singapore to further strengthen cross-border mobility."

 🇲🇲 Myanmar

🇵🇭 Philippines

"Rail, road, bridge projects take center stage in push for better mobility, connectivity."

🇸🇬 Singapore

"Buildings near airports in Singapore can now be built taller - potentially by up to 15 storeys for residential developments, and up to nine storeys for industrial or commercial buildings, said CAAS."

🇹🇭 Thailand

"Tunnelling under the Chao Phraya River as part of the southern extension of the MRT Purple Line has begun and is slated for completion in May next year, according to Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit."

"Including two hospitals, BTS skywalks, Chao Phraya pedestrian bridge and park upgrades."

Soiciety is a new Bangkok local news site, which goes into more detail about urban development and other city issues.

Soiciety | Bangkok Local NewsWhat matters for Bangkok's ซอย and why, in under 10 minutes every week.

"Academics and activists have urged a review of the Environmental Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) reports for the Ranong and Chumphon deep-sea port plans, part of the government's flagship land bridge megaproject."

🇻🇳 Vietnam

"The investment in rail lines connecting Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City and the under-construction Long Thanh International Airport in neighboring Dong Nai Province is urgent, especially as Long Thanh is nearing operational readiness."

"Hanoi will start construction of urban railway line No. 2 Nam Thang Long - Tran Hung Dao section in October 2025, aiming to complete the project after 5 years."

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