News: May 2024

Jakarta-Surabaya fast train project, Philippine launches ambitious railway development plan, Thai-Chinese high-speed railway on track to open in 2030

James Clark
May 31, 2024

Welcome to another edition of the Southeast Asia Railway Newsletter. This month I took to the rails in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. I will be posting articles about those railways in the next newsletter.

Here is this month’s round-up of rail news in Southeast Asia.

News

• Railroads in Southeast Asia by Peter J. Green

“This book offers an illustrated tour of the railways of Southeast Asia, from Myanmar to Malaysia with detours to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.”

This is testing for a cross-border service between Udon Thani Railway Station and Khamsavath Station (Vientiane South).

• China-Laos Railway handles over 200,000 cross-border passenger trips

• China-Laos tourist train departs Guiyang to explore Laos

🇲🇾 Malaysia

• Kuala Lumpur Railway Station: A guide to the most beautiful station in Southeast Asia

• KTMB announces 6 new ETS express services starting in August

“There will be six services with routes bound for:
- KL Sentral - Ipoh - KL Sentral
- KL Sentral - Butterworth - KL Sentral
- KL Sentral - Padang Besar - KL Sentral

The train journey for KL Sentral-Ipoh sector will now take two hours, the KL Sentral-Butterworth sector will take three hours and 30 minutes, and the KL Sentral-Padang Besar sector will take four hours and 50 minutes.”

• Loke: KL-Singapore HSR discussions with SG only after cabinet approval

• Govt to conduct study before extending ECRL to Rantau Panjang

• Slow train to Kelantan: the passengers embracing Malaysia’s history of rail travel

“The ‘Jungle Train’ service, which runs along the spine of Peninsular Malaysia, is the country’s last sleeper train as cars and buses drive speed of travel.”

• Journeying through the Malaysian rainforest aboard the legendary Eastern & Oriental Express

🇲🇲 Myanmar

• On the Shadow Tracks: A Journey through Occupied Myanmar by Clare Hammond

“In 2016, while working as a journalist in Yangon, Clare Hammond discovered an obscure map that showed a web of new railways spanning the length and breadth of the country - railways not shown on any other publicly available maps. She was determined to uncover the railways' origins, purpose, and most of all, the silence that surrounded them. She would spend three months travelling on these mysterious railways, and the next five years piecing their story together.”

• New Yangon-Mawlamyine-Yangon train services start on 13 May

• 147th Anniversary of Myanma Railways marked

🇵🇭 Philippines

• Philippine launches ambitious railway development plan

The projects include the North Luzon Railway, the Mindanao Railway, and new lines in Bicol, Palawan, and Visayas.

• Right of way, budget woes delay buildup of rail projects

🇸🇬 Singapore

• Completion of Singapore-Malaysia HSR among tasks of new PM Lawrence Wong

🇹🇭 Thailand

• Suriya: Thai-Chinese high-speed railway on track to open in 2030

• Airport rail link project back on track

"The high-speed rail project linking Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao airports is expected to be up and running later this year after the state and project builders agreed on a revised project."

• Twin-track railway to Chumphon fully operational 'by August'

• Luxurious ‘Tour in Train’ explores heritage sites in Korat

“Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University is collaborating with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to offer a special “Tour in Train” to explore UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat).”

• SRT’s Kiha 183 train visits Suan Son Pradipat in June, offers unique travel opportunities around Thailand