News: March 2024

Hello from Nha Trang, Vietnam! I got the train here from Ga Sai Gon, and I will then get the train to Da Nang. Getting the train is a good way to hop between cities, though it is slow if you are going long distances. Vietnam needs faster trains, and this month it was announced that the preferred speed for the proposed high-speed railway is 350 km/h. When that will happen is another matter.

Here is this month’s summary of rail news in Southeast Asia.

News

China is trying to connect Southeast Asia by high-speed rail. Here’s how that’s going

“Imagine jumping on a train in southwestern China, traveling some 2,000 miles and arriving in Singapore – less than 30 hours later.

That’s the scenario China is envisioning for Southeast Asia as part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a vast overseas infrastructure development program that launched more than a decade ago.”

🇧🇳 Brunei

• Brunei company announces Trans Borneo Railway high-speed rail network project

"The first high-speed rail network in Borneo has been proposed, set to shorten the travelling distances between Kalimantan, Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei.

Brunei based Brunergy Utama Sdn Bhd, on its website, announced that the Trans Borneo Railway project would be implemented in two phases involving routes spanning 1,620 kilometres."

The official website is at https://brunergyutama.com/

🇰🇭 Cambodia

• RRC to beef up investment on northern railroad line project

“The Royal Railway of Cambodia (RRC) has unveiled its plan for additional investment to improve the northern railroad line, currently out of service.”

• DC-Cam tracking Khmer Rouge history through railways

“Khmer Rouge researcher Chhang Youk, who serves as executive director of DC-Cam, said the tours were designed to enable participants to share Khmer Rouge survivor’s experience of forced transfer by train.”

🇮🇩 Indonesia

• Passenger trips on Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway hit 2 mln

• Indonesia Devising Up Plans to Revitalize Historic Train Stations

• Soekarno-Hatta Airport Train Introduces New Stop at West Jakarta Station

🇱🇦 Laos

• Rail operator adds new stations as passenger numbers surge

"Starting on March 10, the Laos-China Railway Company Limited has opened two new stations on the cross-border service, namely Xay station on the Lao side of the border and Yuxi station in China."

• Laos-China Railway handles over 30 million passenger trips; daily trips have even over 100,000 passengers

• Cross-border tourism: 2024’s first Beijing to Laos tourist train departs from Chinese capital

🇲🇾 Malaysia

• Three consortia believed to be on shortlist for KL-Singapore HSR project

• ECRL more than 60% complete, says Malaysia Rail

• Malaysia considers extending ECRL to Thai border

• KTM to refurbish old trains

• Sim floats idea of rail linking Bintulu to Nusantara

"From Bintulu Port to the new capital of Indonesia, Nusantara, it is only a few hundred kilometres. So, with the high-speed railway like China, people can arrive in Nusantara from Bintulu in three hours,".

• No pressure on KTMB to vacate HQ, says transport minister

One of the world’s most beautiful railway administration buildings.

• Upgrading works soon for Ipoh Railway Station

• Budget traveler's dream: Malaysian man takes epic train journey to China for less than RM600

 🇲🇲 Myanmar

• Myanmar junta seeks loan for Muse-Mandalay railroad project from China

• Yangon-Mandalay special train starts running from 8 March

🇵🇭 Philippines

• PNR suspends NCR ops for NSCR construction

• Commuters, employees ride PNR's farewell trips

“…the five-year hiatus of the PNR will start on Maundy Thursday to give way for the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway.”

• PNR: Laguna to Pampanga North-South Commuter Railway done in 2028

• China sidetracked as funding source for PNR Bicol

• Feasibility studies to be bid out for Samar-Leyte, Panay rail projects 

“The Panay rail system project includes the construction of a passenger and freight railway, logistics facilities, maintenance depots, and transit-oriented developments.

Also in 2023, the DoTr created a task force for the proposed Eastern Visayas Metro Railway System which will link Samar and Leyte islands.”

• Marcos Jr.’s policy shift vs China impacts Mindanao Railway Project—Political Strategist

• Villafuerte’s proposal: bullet trains for Philippines’ railway ‘renaissance’

🇹🇭 Thailand

• Construction of the high-speed train station in Ayutthaya to begin in March

• Coming soon, a whole new travel experience in the 'SRT Royal Blossom'

“In 2018, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) received 10 second-hand air-conditioned Hamanasu passenger cars from the Hokkaido Railway Company of Japan. The procurement aimed to repair and renovate the cars and press them into service as a tourism vehicle.”

• Steam train pulls passengers back 128 years to birth of Thailand’s railway

“Passengers were whisked back to the romantic age of rail travel on Tuesday when they boarded a steam train for a special trip from Bangkok to Ayutthaya to mark the State Railway of Thailand (SRT)'s 128th birthday.”

🇻🇳 Vietnam

• Vietnam’s transport ministry proposes 350km-per-hour cross-country rail line

• Government mulls all-passenger role for proposed high-speed rail

• Japan willing to fund trans-Vietnam high-speed railway: minister

• Design of a new railway from Lao Cai to Quang Ninh with a speed of up to 160km/h

• Dak Lak and Phu Yen proposed to build a railway and highway connecting the two provinces

• Vietnamese, Lao provinces consider building joint cross-border economic zone

"In the future, the province will also consider building the Dong Ha - Lao Bao railway to be linked with the Densavan - Savannakhet railway of Laos, thereby forming a railway on the East West Economic Corridor (EWEC)."

• Vietnam introduces new tourist train linking Hue to Da Nang

• The Vietage by Anantara unveils all-new luxury railway journey

• Close-up of the train crew's activities