Trans-Sumatra Railway plan, study of a railway route from Khammuan-Champasak-Laos-Cambodia border, Sarawak ready to support Trans-Borneo railway project, riding the remnants of the Philippines South Main Line, missing link railway could end Bangkok crossing crashes, French rail giant backs Vietnam’s dream of a 6-hour Hanoi-HCMC trip.
News
🇧🇳 Brunei
• Time to get Brunei on track with railways [Borneo Bulletin]
🇰🇭 Cambodia
• Tourism Minister promotes railway travel as unique tourism experience [Khmer Times]
🇮🇩 Indonesia
• Fatal crossings, failing signals (archive) [The Jakarta Post]
“Safety should be a structural guarantee, not a matter of luck. The Bekasi train collision must finally end the country’s deadly reliance on level crossings.”
• Indonesia shuts 172 illegal rail crossings to cut accidents [Antara News]
• Danantara touted to fund Trans-Sumatra Railway: how much will it cost? [Tempo]
• Kaltara Railway re-emerges, Bertius: this project is pure private investment [VOI]
“The plan to build a railway network in North Kalimantan (Kaltara) has resurfaced.”
• 4 trains with the longest routes in Indonesia, 2 of which are more than 1,000 kilometers [VOI]
🇱🇦 Laos
• China-Laos Railway passenger train runs exceed 100,000, injecting new vitality into regional devt [Global Times]
🇲🇾 Malaysia
• ECRL nears completion in Pahang, only 3 pct remaining [New Straits Times]
• MRL launches mobile exhibition truck ahead of ECRL operations in January [New Straits Times]
• Sarawak ready to support Trans-Borneo railway project: Abang Johari [New Straits Times]
• Sarawak to prioritise Bintulu-Samalaju rail link under Trans-Borneo Railway plan [The Borneo Post]
• How Perak’s busiest railway disappeared from memory [The Sun]
• Bali to Leeds Day 5: Johor to Kuala Lumpur [Couchfish]
🇲🇲 Myanmar
• Modernized Yangon to Mandalay rail service launches amid deepening economic turmoil [Burma News International]
“Myanma Railways recently launched its No. 5 Up and No. 6 Down express service between Yangon and Mandalay, utilizing modern air-conditioned Diesel Electric Multiple Unit coaches.”
🇵🇭 Philippines
• Riding the remnants of the Philippines South Main Line [Nomadic Notes]
“The Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Main Line originally traversed South Luzon from Manila to Legazpi. The line was approximately 500 km in length, but the system has been reduced to two fragmented sections.”
• US seeks rail expert for Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas Railway project study [Manila Bulletin]
• ADB willing to fund Mindanao Railway Project [BusinessWorld]
“The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it is ready to finance the Mindanao Railway Project, with the long-delayed rail line still needing a source of funding after China withdrew support.”
🇹🇭 Thailand
• Bangkok rail crossing safety overhaul planned after deadly crash [Thai PBS World]
• Train-bus collision Bangkok’s Makkasan was not an accident. It was a system designed to fail [Thaiger]
• Missing Link railway could end Bangkok crossing crashes [The Nation]
“A deadly collision between a State Railway of Thailand freight train and a Route 206 bus at the Asok-Din Daeng rail crossing on May 16 has brought renewed attention to Bangkok’s long-discussed “Missing Link” railway project.”
• Krabi residents demand route change for 33bn baht rail project [Thai PBS World]
“More than 100 residents in Krabi’s Ao Luek district are urging the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to alter the path of the planned Thap Put-Krabi railway line, warning that the current route will devastate local communities and vast tracts of farmland.”
• New central train line moves forward [Bangkok Post]
“A new train line project connecting Suphan Buri and Ayutthaya has taken shape as the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) hosted the first meeting to take in impressions from people along the route.”
“The intent of the rail is to connect existing main tracks to the southern, northern and northeastern regions, with no need to travel via Bangkok.”
• Revamping Thai trains: Siripong orders SRT to convert old trains into tourist trains and launch hybrid Ngao prototype [Thairath]
🇻🇳 Vietnam
• Hanoi to Nanning by train [Nomadic Notes]
“A review of the overnight sleeper train service from Hanoi (Vietnam) to Nanning (China).”
• North-South high-speed rail project to pick consultant in June [The Saigon TImes]
“To meet the timeline, the selection of the FS consultancy contractor is scheduled for June 2026. The consultancy is expected to complete the midterm FS report by June 2027, providing the basis for appraisal procedures before the entire railway enters the construction phase from the fourth quarter of 2028.”
• French rail giant backs Vietnam’s dream of a 6-hour Hanoi-HCMC trip [VietNamnet]
• HCM City seeks USD 367 million for high-speed rail land clearance [DTI News]
• Hanoi to Ha Long Bay in 23 minutes: This is how Vietnam’s first high-speed railway will look like [VnExpress]
• Vietnam’s most beautiful railway station twins with French counterpart [VOV]
“A twinning agreement between Da Lat Railway Station in Vietnam and Trouville-Deauville Railway Station in France was signed at the French Embassy in Vietnam on May 7, creating new opportunities for cooperation in station management and operations, as well as cultural and tourism promotion between the two sides.”
• Steam trains have appeared in Quy Nhon. [Vietnam vn]
“In recent days, a steam locomotive unexpectedly appeared on the Quy Nhon – Dieu Tri railway line in Gia Lai province, attracting the attention of locals and the online community.”
Discover more from Southeast Asia Railways
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Leave a Reply