News: June 2024

Indonesia new capital railway plans, ECRL reaches two-thirds completion, Thailand double-track rail routes approved, Vietnam considering 3 railway routes linking with China

Author

James Clark
June 29, 2024

Welcome to the June 2024 edition of the Southeast Asia Railway Newsletter. This month I have been working through my rail reviews from my recent trip to Indonesia, and Malaysia (listed below).

It’s been another eventful month of construction progress and new railway announcements in Southeast Asia. Here is the latest news.

News

"The Asean Express, a new international freight train service connecting Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and China, has been launched by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) to improve trade connectivity between the nations."

🇰🇭 Cambodia

Test runs for the Kiha-183 Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) trains imported from Japan have been underway this month.

“The Royal Railway of Cambodia (RRC) yesterday announced the successful conclusion of trial runs of the newly imported trains on the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville line, a significant milestone for the railway development of the country.”

Here are some photos of the trains from Khmer Time, who keep calling these trains “high speed”. These new carriages run on the same old rail, which is not built for high-speed trains.

"Additionally, the plan envisions the establishment of a new railway to Vietnam from Phnom Penh through Prey Veng and Svay Rieng by 2030, with three more railways planned for 2050, connecting to Vietnam from Kampong Cham province, Kampong Cham to Laos via Kratie and Stung Treng, and a high-speed train from Kampong Cham to Thailand via Banteay Meanchey."

🇮🇩 Indonesia

• Palembang to Lubuk Linggau by train in South Sumatra (my review at Nomadic Notes)

🇱🇦 Laos

🇲🇾 Malaysia

"Transport Minister Anthony Loke says the government is keen on resurrecting the rail project but does not want to end up with ‘a huge financial obligation’"

“China said it was willing to study a plan to connect Malaysia's US$10-billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) to other China-backed railway projects in Laos and Thailand, potentially expanding Beijing's Belt and Road initiative across Southeast Asia.”

• Kuala Lumpur to Singapore by train (my review at Nomadic Notes)

“After a four-year hiatus, the Eastern & Oriental Express is once again bringing romance to the rails of Malaysia.”

🇲🇲 Myanmar

"In an extract from her new book, On the Shadow Tracks: A Journey through Occupied Myanmar, former Frontier editor Clare Hammond describes travelling to the Kayah State capital of Loikaw on a railway that was built in the 1990s with mass forced labour."

🇵🇭 Philippines

"The Department of Transportation (DOTr) will work with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to develop a second, improved prototype of the latter’s Hybrid Electric Train (HET) for use on the Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Long Haul, or Bicol Line."

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇹🇭 Thailand

"The construction of the 250.77-kilometre high-speed rail link between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima is expected to conclude sometime in 2028."

• There is an official website for the Thai-Chinese High-Speed Railway at highspeedrail-thai-china.com/

“The 678-kilometre routes were part of a total of seven double-track railway megaprojects. They include the 168.2km Chumporn-Surat Thani route, costing 30.4 billion baht; the 321km Surat Thani-Songkhla route (66.2 billion baht); and the 189km Denchai-Chiang Mai route.”

A trial run of the train service between Bangkok's Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Station and Vientiane's Khamsavath is scheduled to take place from July 13 to 14.

“The launch of the Thailand-Laos connection, via a new short link from Nong Khai, will mean it is possible to travel by train from Bangkok to China’s capital via stops in Vientiane and the southern Chinese city of Kunming, where there is a separate semi-high-speed service to Beijing.”

There has been a bevy of Bangkok to Beijing train articles doing the rounds on the major media outlets this month. These articles are in response to the announcement of the test run from Bangkok to Khamsavath. This metre-gauge railway isn’t near the standard-gauge Laos-China Railway, so there is still no continuous railway from Bangkok to Beijing.

"Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is vowing to push for a high-speed railway project linking three main airports to ensure the success of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) and he expects good news to revive the long-delayed railway project next month."

“The daily service includes a train departing Hua Lamphong Station (Bangkok) at 10:35 AM, arriving at Pattaya Station (Chonburi), and concluding at Chuk Samet Station. The return journey from Chuk Samet Station to Hua Lamphong Station departs at 1:30 PM.”

🇻🇳 Vietnam

“Speaking at the Vietnam-China strategic transport infrastructure development cooperation conference held in Beijing, Chinh said the three railway routes under consideration are Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong, Lang Son-Hanoi, and Mong Cai-Ha Long-Hai Phong.”

"Work on a 1,500-kilometer high-speed rail link between the northern and southern regions will start in 2026 or 2027, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang has said.”

“Hitched to regular trains, and with free-flow drinks and fine food, Anantara’s Vietage carriages offer a luxurious way to get from A to B.”

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