The proposed Davao People Mover (Monorail)
The proposed Davao People Mover (Monorail)
Updates on future iconic towers of Saigon, Singapore's last surviving village, Hanoi to pilot rental of e-bike linking with bus system, and more transport and construction news from around SE Asia.
Greetings from socially-distant Saigon, where we are having another quasi lockdown in these Covid times. With no travels planned here, let alone for the rest of Southeast Asia, it’s a good time for me to work on articles that don’t require travelling. It’s also a good time to update posts and try and promote the site more. If you can help spread the word by sharing this site, that would be of great help!
Latest Posts At Future Southeast Asia
The Davao People Mover is a proposed monorail line to be built in Davao City, Philippines. The straddle-type monorail line will have 16 stations and 1 depot on a 13 km track.
Updated Posts
Indonesia
1st girder erection channel of Jakarta-Bandung HSR completes erecting
Added to Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway
Erick Thohir talks about the new capital city, salutes Jokowi
Added to New Capital City of Indonesia
Malaysia
HSR plans still on track towards more failures?
Penang South Islands creates jobs, tangible state assets and increases social capital
Editorial from the Penang Infrastructure Corporation.
Added to Penang South Islands
Thailand
High-speed rail hits bump in Ayutthaya
“UN tells developer to mind heritage site.”
Added to Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed railway
High-speed rail line work begins, closing Pattaya bridge
Vietnam
Cranes for the two towers of the One Central HCM project in Ho Chi Minh City have been installed. Construction is still allowed during this time of social distancing, and I took this photo on the way to get food, which I am allowed to leave home for.
I’m seeing that some news sites are now calling this One Central Saigon, so they have either got it mixed up with the previous name (Spirit of Saigon) or the name has changed again. For those outside Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City and Saigon are used interchangeably without causing anyone offense.
I took this photo next to Ben Thanh Market. Here is a new render of what the pedestrian plaza and road layout will look like. I was standing to the left of the market in this image. There is a big hole in the ground where the plaza is, and the market will face the two towers of One Central HCM. This image is now added to the Ben Thanh Station archive.
On the 2nd of May, I visited the Empire City project where I saw that they were drilling for soil samples at the main tower site. Here is what it will look like. This tower was last reported to be 333 metres with 88 floors. I’ve heard reports via local TV news that they have applied to make the tower 100 floors (I don’t have an English news link for this report). For comparison, Landmark 81 is the tallest tower in HCMC at 461 metres. Will they also increase the floor height to make the building taller? I’m excited to see this one get started, as it’s by the same architect that designed the Mahanakhon in Bangkok.
[Drilling at the Empire City Tower site, 2 May 2021.]
Other News
Cambodia
Is there such a thing as a ‘green’ SEZ in Cambodia?
“By definition, special economic zones are not green. Yet Cambodia, now overrun by foreign-financed SEZs, is trying to rewrite the concept. Success remains elusive.”
In Cambodia, Siem Reap airport feels the full force of tourism downturn
“As flights to Siem Reap airport dropped to an unprecedented zero last month, workers at the once-bustling entry point are facing reduced pay and layoffs. Like their tourism counterparts across the struggling city, many make ends meet with loans and ad hoc work.”
Indonesia
A project on the Makassar waterfront redevelopment.
Laos
Movement on the Vientiane to Pakse expressway project
“The government is considering approval of the proposed route for an expressway running from Vientiane Capital to Pakse in the nation’s south.”
Malaysia
Total lockdown: Only critical construction work allowed during MCO, says Fadillah
Philippines
Metro Manila subway, North-South railway set to be linked physically
“The Department of Transportation (DOTr) plans to physically link two of its largest railway projects, the Metro Manila subway and the North South Commuter Railway (NSCR), allowing seamless travel for commuters.”
Singapore
The super rich are choosing Singapore as the world’s safest haven
“Money is sloshing around Singapore like never before. Family offices, Bentley sales and real estate prices are booming.”
Singapore’s richest property family warns of cooling measures
“The Singapore government may step in to introduce property curbs if home prices keep rising, according to the city-state’s richest property family, marking the first time a developer has waded in on the issue.”
Singapore's last surviving village
“Away from its soaring skyscrapers and urban sprawl, one rural oasis shows how Singapore used to look.”
Thailand
State of the airline industry in Covid era
“The airline industry was the hardest hit by the pandemic after Thailand suspended all flights last year, and only began to gradually reopen skies once infection rates became more controllable.”
5-stage plan to upgrade city airport
“The government yesterday received an Airports of Thailand (AoT) plan to expand Suvarnabhumi airport involving five stages.”
Vietnam
Hanoi to pilot rental of e-bike linking with bus system in Q3
“Hanoi will pilot the rental of electric bicycles to facilitate connection among local bus routes and the bus rapid transit (BRT) system since the third quarter of this year.”
Covid dampens Da Nang real estate market
Five North-South expressway projects begin construction in May, June 2021