Southeast Asia Railways News (November 2025)

Introducing Rail Vietnam, high-speed rail debt must not delay Jakarta-Surabaya expansion, Pasir Mas-Rantau Panjang railway restoration, Thailand plans U-Tapao–Trat high-speed rail, Hanoi-Ha Long railway proposal

Author

James Clark
November 01, 2025

The Southeast Asia Railways Newsletter is a summary of rail news in Southeast Asia, edited by James Clark from Future Southeast Asia and Nomadic Notes.

Hello from Sapa in the mountains of Northwest Vietnam. I got the bus here from Hanoi, which seems like a weird thing to admit on a rail site, but there is a method to my madness. There is a train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, and from there passengers get a bus to Sapa. This is a very popular trip and it sells out in advance, but I was able to get a ticket for the return journey.

I am in Vietnam to collate information for a new site I have just launched - Rail Vietnam. I started my trip in Da Nang and went to Hue, Dong Ha, Vinh, and Nam Dinh. I was set to complete the journey to Hanoi but the train was cancelled due to the big floods in Central Vietnam. This experience has least given me some insight on what happens when your train is cancelled, so I will write about that.

I announced the new rail site on Nomadic Notes, and you can read more about the project here:

News

🇮🇩 Indonesia

"Indonesia’s Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail, known as Whoosh, has carried more than 12 million passengers since it began commercial operations two years ago, operator PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) said".

"The sovereign wealth fund will lead negotiations for the debt restructuring of Whoosh, the country's first high-speed rail."

"The Indonesian government is moving swiftly to advance railway electrification across the country, marking a major push toward a more efficient, eco-friendly, and sustainable national transportation system."

🇱🇦 Laos

“Cross-border travel totaled nearly 200,000 passengers, up 3.17 percent year-on-year, state media reported. The Lao section has served over 2.6 million passengers so far this year.”

🇲🇾 Malaysia

"Loke said the initiative aimed to reactivate the line for passenger and cargo train services, thereby enhancing Malaysia-Thailand cross-border rail connectivity through the link to Sungai Golok, Thailand."

"The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has successfully tested the cross-border "MySawasdee” tourist train in collaboration with Malaysia’s national railway operator, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB), ahead of its scheduled operation by the end of 2025."

🇲🇲 Myanmar

• Yangon-Bagan-Yangon railway route changes [Global New Light of Myanmar]

🇵🇭 Philippines

"Sweden is providing $1.3 million in grant funding to support the feasibility study of the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas (SCMB) Railway, the flagship project of the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC)."

"As funding for a new Bicol Express remains elusive, the Philippine National Railways (PNR) is working to reinstate the old Lucena-Naga service by 2026, although this plan is also hindered by budget gaps."

🇹🇭 Thailand

"Nearly six years after signing the public-private partnership (PPP) contract in October 2019, Thailand’s 224.5-billion-baht ($6.8 billion) high-speed rail project connecting Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi, and U-Tapao airports has made virtually no progress. The mega-project, a cornerstone of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), now teeters on the edge of collapse"

"Thailand's long-awaited high-speed rail link to China is still stuck at the station – but when it finally leaves, it could transform the country's overlooked northeast into Southeast Asia's next great weekend escape."

🇻🇳 Vietnam

An updated list of proposed railways for Vietnam.

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