Introducing southeastasiarailways.com, Laos–Vietnam railway construction to begin in 2026, KL–JB ETS3 debuts with four-hour journey, Thailand three-airport high-speed rail hit by fresh delay, Lao Cai–Hanoi–Hai Phong railway project breaks ground.
Welcome to the January 2026 edition of Southeast Asia Railway News!
I started the year in style by getting the train from Phnom Penh to Kampot on News Years Day. I did this trip in 2024, and I was happy to do this trip again.
[At Phnom Penh Station.]
I will be making some changes to this newsletter in 2026, starting with a new domain. This newsletter is now at southeastasiarailways.com, so the monthly news will be archived there. This will be more of a content site and less of a newsletter, but if you are subscribed by email you will still get emails about new posts.
southeastasiarailways.com will be a resource for all railways in Southeast Asia, with links to the official sites and where to buy tickets.
This site will also post trip reports and other travel articles about Southeast Asia railways. I plan to make this open for others to post, so you are welcome to submit your own trip report (including trips from years ago).
As an example, I have written up a review of a trip I took in Thailand last month:
Train Review: Lop Buri to Bangkok (Hua Lamphong) Commuter No. 304
One of the problems of writing travel guides is that the information goes out of date eventually. There is a need to differentiate between a guide that gets updated and a report that is kept as a permanent record.
For example, in 2024 I rode the diesel train from Gemas to JB Sentral. I took this trip knowing that this service would end once the line was fully electrified between Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru.
This train service (the Southern Express) was terminated on January 1, and my article has gone from being a guide to a historical archive of a bygone era.
This is something I am especially aware of for my Rail Vietnam project. I took a ride on the Lao Cai to Hanoi service knowing that this service will eventually end. In December 2025, Vietnam broke ground on the Lao Cai-Hanoi-Haiphong standard-gauge railway project (link in the news section below). This train will be fast enough to not require sleeper carriages. I wrote a review of the service and I also have a Hanoi-Lao Cai train guide which just lists the facts of the service.
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Here is the usual round-up of rail news in Southeast Asia for the previous month.
News
🇰🇭 Cambodia
• In need of a revamp of Cambodian Railway! [Khmer Times]
🇮🇩 Indonesia
• Private investment, public burden: Indonesia’s ‘Whoosh’ lesson [Fulcrum]
“Indonesia’s first high-speed train project is historic but its government now has to prevent it going off the rails as costs spiral and boomerang onto the state and taxpayers.”
• Whoosh high-speed train projected to make loss for next 5 Years [Tempo]
• China and Russia are interested in working on a railroad network project outside Java [VOI]
• A total of 644,556 foreign tourists explore Indonesia by train throughout 2025 [VOI]
• Community Protests Demolition of UNESCO World Heritage Railway Bridge in Anai Valley [Kompas]
“Several communities of train enthusiasts, transportation advocates, historians, and cultural heritage supporters have rejected the plan to dismantle the railway bridge in the Lembah Anai area of West Sumatra, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage.”
🇱🇦 Laos
• Laos–Vietnam railway construction to begin in 2026, operations targeted for 2030 [The Laotian Times]
“The strategic route will connect Vientiane to Vietnam’s Vung Ang Port, giving Laos critical access to maritime trade routes for the first time. The project is being implemented as a public–private partnership between Petroleum Trading Lao Public Company (PTL) and Vietnam’s Deo Ca Group JSC.”
• Lao travellers hop on China-Laos Railway for refreshing New Year journeys [The Star]
🇲🇾 Malaysia
• KL–JB ETS3 debuts with four-hour journey, hailed as major relief for commuters [Malay Mail]
“The inaugural operation of the Electric Train Service 3 (ETS3) between Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru today is a huge relief for the people of Johor and regular public transport users who have been waiting a long time for a direct train service between the two locations.”
• ETS is complete, but does that make the KL–SG High-Speed Rail obsolete? [Newswav]
• Review: Electric Train Service (ETS) from Johor to Kuala Lumpur [The Milelion]
• ECRL passenger train sets arrive in Kuantan [The Star]
“The first passenger train sets for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) have arrived in Malaysia, marking a major milestone for the 665km rail project as it moves closer to the testing and commissioning phase.”
• Ewon welcomes study on Putatan–KKIP–Sepanggar rail link [The Borneo Post]
“Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ewon Benedick has welcomed the implementation of a Feasibility Study and Preliminary Design for a railway system linking Putatan to the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) and Sepanggar Port.”
• Tanjung Aru-Beaufort train ride a great way to see Sabah [FMT]
“This century-old service offers views of rustic villages, tropical rainforests, winding rivers and traditional settlements.”
🇲🇲 Myanmar
• RBE and BEL trains launch on Mandalay-Lashio route [Myanmar News Agency]
• Charter train for the Taunggyi-Pawmu journey available [OneNews Channel Myanmar]
“The Taunggyi-Pawmu round-trip sightseeing charter train will be arranged for travel companies, travel agencies and private schools, Myanmar Railways has announced.”
🇵🇭 Philippines
• North-South rail project attracts PH, Japanese, French firms [Inquirer]
“Big Japanese, French, and local infrastructure companies have shown keen interest in operating and managing the government’s North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project, a 147-kilometer system that will run from Clark International Airport in Pampanga to Calamba in Laguna.”
🇸🇬 Singapore
• What next for the high-speed rail from KL to Singapore? [The Straits Times]
“When KTM finally unveiled its Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru electric train service (ETS) on Dec 12 – after around seven years of construction – one thing was greeted with a collective sigh: the long journey time of nearly 4.5 hours.”
🇹🇭 Thailand
• Three-airport high-speed rail hit by fresh delay as contract change with CP must wait for new Cabinet [The Nation]
“The three-airport high-speed rail project has been dealt another setback after the dissolution of the House of Representatives on December 12, pushed the current Cabinet into caretaker status, meaning it can no longer approve projects or make decisions that create long-term binding obligations.”
• SRT closes Aranyaprathet station in Sa Kaeo amid border clashes [The Nation]
• Analyzing the major mission of the new Governor of the State Railway of Thailand, including the stalled mega-projects worth 830 billion baht [Future Southeast Asia]
• thaitracks.com is a new site by Richard Barrow from thaitrainguide.com. thaitracks.com is a user-friendly way to search for train timetables and schedules in Thailand.
🇻🇳 Vietnam
• Lao Cai–Hanoi–Hai Phong railway line breaks ground on five stations [SGGP]
“Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son on Friday attended the ground-breaking ceremony for five stations as part of the Lao Cai–Hanoi–Hai Phong railway project in the northern province of Lao Cai.”
• Vietnam Railways Corporation unveils upgraded coaches, digital tools [VietnamPlus]
“The Vietnam Railways Corporation (VNR) inaugurated a carriage modernisation project in Hanoi on December 19, refurbishing 162 passenger coaches across its national network at a cost of more than 60 billion VND (2.3 million USD).”
• North–South high-speed railway project to break ground in late 2026 [VOV]
“Vietnam plans to break ground on its flagship North–South high-speed railway project by the end of 2026, the Ministry of Construction said, as authorities accelerate preparations for one of the country’s most ambitious infrastructure projects.”
• Vinspeed to survey HN–Quảng Ninh high-speed railway [Viet Nam News]
“The proposed Hà Nội–Quảng Ninh railway would run from the National Exhibition and Convention Centre in Hà Nội to the Forest Park area of Việt Hưng Ward in Quảng Ninh Province, opposite the Vinhomes Hạ Long Xanh urban area.”
• Vietnam Railways adds 11 extra southern services for Tet [DTI news]
• The Hanoi Train – The half-day Hanoi to Bac Ninh excursion train [Rail Vietnam]
“The Hanoi Train is a special excursion train that travels from Hanoi to neighbouring Bac Ninh province and back again. The trip takes three and a half hours with some stops on the way.”
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Ironically the Cambodian railways were revamped earlier this century but without any vision about providing a much improved railway. I am sure if they had modernised with a standard gauge double track they would not be building the new canal and there would be regular passenger services
Yes an upgraded railway on the same route would serve cargo and passengers, the canal doesn’t make any sense
I had no idea there was a train between Kampot/Kep and Phnom Penh. I just did that trip, and paid a lot more by private taxi. Of course, the train is much slower and has inconvenient departure times. But as someone who has been traveling in SE Asia (including by train) for 25 years, I enjoy reading your updates
Thanks! The trip from Phnom Penh to Kampot is ideal as it leaves in the morning, while the trip back isn’t as convenient as there is only the afternoon service.