Nakhon Ratchasima LRT System

China-Laos railway updates, New Bicol International Airport, a proposed bridge for Koh Chang, and more construction and transport news in Southeast Asia.

October 13, 2021

The big news in Laos this week is the arrival of the first passenger train for the China-Laos Railway. The railway is still scheduled to be launched on 2 December (Lao National Day), but with Covid-19 cases increasing there will be no passenger services yet. As mentioned in the news section below, the line will start with freight services first. This makes more sense to get the bugs out of the system with freight trains first.

Here is a short clip of the first train being transported from China. I suspect there will be lots of coverage about this, and the lead up to the first freight train.

The China-Laos railway will eventually be met by the Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed railway. The first section to be built will be from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, which would put Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) within commuter distance of Bangkok.

This week’s article looks at a proposed tramway for Korat. There hasn’t been much news about this project, but I found a video that shows the route, along with some images of what the stations might look like. There have been three lines proposed overall.

Latest Posts At Future Southeast Asia

The Nakhon Ratchasima Mass Transit Project is a proposed tramway in Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), Thailand. The first line (Green Line) is an 11.17 KM tram with 21 stations.

Updated Posts

Indonesia

“It is urgent for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to personally raise the issue of the problematic Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train project with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Group of 20 Summit in Rome on Oct. 30-31, for the sake of the countries’ bilateral ties and for the interest of China’s global credibility.”

Laos

"Constructed over some 14,543 square meters in Xay Village, Xaythany District, Vientiane Capital Station will be the largest station along the railway, with three platforms and five track lines."

Malaysia

Other News

“Beijing’s lending to low- and middle-income countries is provided on less generous terms than loans from other lenders and multinational creditors.”

Cambodia

“A man far ahead of his time, Vann Molyvann was a talented 30 year-old architect who in the late 1950s was entrusted with the keys to the kingdom by Norodom Sihanouk.”

Indonesia

Laos

“The proposed expressway would link the cities of Hanoi in Vietnam with Vientiane in Laos, providing an improved international transport route for South East Asia.”

“The Government of Laos has issued a new policy to promote electric vehicles which it hopes will help minimize fuel imports and reduce emissions in the country.”

Malaysia

Philippines

“Former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Presidential Assistant to the Visayas, Secretary Michael Dino are once again at odds over the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project of the city, blaming each other over the project’s delay.”

“The controversy over the construction of an expressway along the Pasig River has brought forward the frustrated dreams of local urban planners.”

Singapore

“Making the area more liveable was already a priority. Hybrid working has made it even more urgent.”

“The demolition of Pearl Bank Apartments was the straw that broke the camel’s back for modern heritage advocates in Singapore. The private residential building, finished in 1976 and demolished in 2020, was a fixture of post-independence Singapore.”

Thailand

“The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is continuing with its plan to improve the condition of the city’s canals and their adjacent surroundings.”

This is the abandoned tower in Pattaya (featured in Future Pattaya).

Vietnam

A report on the JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa (featured in Future Phu Quoc).

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