Indonesia plans 14,000-km rail network outside Java by 2045, Luang Prabang Station becomes busiest hub on Laos–China Railway, Sabah mulls Trans Borneo Railway as part of long-term transport strategy, Mindanao Rail pre-feasibility study completed for project’s third phase, Ayutthaya station redesign to cut heritage impacts, Vietnam breaks ground on first high-speed rail to link Hanoi and Ha Long Bay.
News
🇰🇭 Cambodia
• Battambang exhibition documents Cambodia’s railways from 2011 to 2023 [Kiripost]
🇮🇩 Indonesia
• Bekasi deadly train crash renews railway safety concerns (archive) [The Jakarta Post]
“President Prabowo Subianto and experts pointed to level crossings as a key factor leading to the fatal collision between a Greater Jakarta commuter train and an intercity train that killed at least 15 passengers and left 88 others injured.”
• Bekasi train collision: Govt to improve railway safety at crossings [Antara News]
“The Indonesian government has earmarked Rp4 trillion (approximately US$230 million) from the state budget to improve railway safety at 1,800 crossings across Java following a deadly train crash in Bekasi on Monday.”
• Indonesia to spend Rp1,200 trillion on massive rail expansion to 2045 [Antara News]
“Indonesia plans to invest about Rp1,200 trillion to expand and revive its railway network through 2045, targeting around 14,000 kilometers of new and reactivated railway lines”.
• Indonesia plans 14,000-km rail network outside Java by 2045 [The Jakarta Globe]
“The government said rail infrastructure requirements remain substantial across the three major islands.
– In Sumatra, the existing rail network spans around 1,871 km, but an additional 7,837 km is needed to meet growing connectivity demand from a rising population.
– In Kalimantan, no operational railway network currently exists, while minimum development needs are estimated at 2,772 km.
– In Sulawesi, only about 109 km of rail line is currently available, leaving a further requirement of around 3,284 km to improve interprovincial connectivity.”
• Indonesia’s KAI: all locomotives and gensets now run on B40 [Tempo]
“PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), Indonesia’s state-owned railway operator, said all of its locomotives and generator sets are now powered by B40 biodiesel, as the company prepares to adopt the higher B50 blend to further improve efficiency and sustainability in national transportation.”
• Indonesia completes debt restructuring plan for China-funded high speed train, official says [Reuters]
• Sangkuriang, the Bandung-Banyuwangi train to operate starting May 1 [Kompas]
“Tickets for the Sangkuriang train are sold from Rp 500,000 to Rp 2.5 million. There are three classes offered, namely economy, executive, and “suite class compartment.”
• Papua Governor meets with KAI Director, railway line survey in Jayapura to begin at the end of this month [SuaraNews Papua]
🇱🇦 Laos
• Luang Prabang Station becomes busiest hub on Laos–China Railway [Lao News Agency]
• Laos-China Railway trade reaches USD 11.7 billion as railway expands [The Laotian Times]
• Progress of key transport projects linking Việt Nam and Laos enhanced [Viet Nam News]
“Both sides will formulate a detailed and specific implementation plan for the Vũng Áng–Mụ Giạ–Thakhek–Vientiane Railway, ensuring alignment on all relevant issues and enabling early investment and execution of the project.”
🇲🇾 Malaysia
• KTMB expands EMUPlus service to Klang [FMT]
• KTMB rolls out special Aidiladha train to East Coast [New Straits Times]
“Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) will operate a special ‘Ekspres Lambaian Aidiladha’ service to the East Coast to meet balik kampung demand ahead of Hari Raya Aidiladha next month.”
• Union protests plans to move KTMB HQ from iconic building [FMT]
“It says the government’s Railway Assets Corporation, which owns the building, wants to move 478 staff to rented premises in Brickfields.”
• Fahmi: Communications Ministry to adopt ‘where there’s a track, there’s internet’ principle [New Straits Times]
• Sabah mulls Trans Borneo Railway as part of long-term transport strategy [The Star]
• Sabah conducting studies on new railway routes [Borneo Bulletin]
“…the studies also cover the feasibility of a new route from Putatan to Kota Kinabalu, extending to the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) and up to Sepanggar Port.”
• Sabah Rail to go cashless by June [Malay Mail]
🇲🇲 Myanmar
• Over 100 miles of railway line being repaired in Myanmar [Eleven Media]
“The line is a 110-mile journey from Myitkyina to Moehnyin, with over 163 miles of track and 33 stations.”
• Union Transport Minister inspects Nay Pyi Taw-Toungoo railway [Myanmar News Agency]
• Monghnyin–Myitkyina railway to resume operations after 5-year hiatus [Burma News International]
🇵🇭 Philippines
• Mindanao Rail pre-feasibility study completed for project’s third phase [BusinessWorld]
• Faster rail build seen after completing 345 expropriations [Daily Tribune]
• The Philippines must catch the high-speed express [Manila Bulletin]
“I recently read, with great amazement, Vietnam’s plan to build its bullet train system. To me, this is the clearest signal yet of their intention to become a regional economic powerhouse.”
🇸🇬 Singapore
• RTS Link: Malaysia hopes Singapore agrees to maintain Shuttle Tebrau temporarily [Bernama]
🇹🇭 Thailand
• Hook the rails south – Thailand revives Malaysia link plan [The Nation]
“Thailand pushes southern double-track rail expansion and Malaysia link revival to boost cross-border trade, logistics capacity and regional connectivity.”
• Ayutthaya station redesign to cut heritage impacts [Bangkok Post]
“The State Railway of Thailand has revised the design of Ayutthaya station on the Thai-China high-speed rail line in order to minimise the project’s impact on the city’s Unesco World Heritage sites.”
• Thai transport minister rejects three-airport rail contract changes [The Nation]
“The Thai Transport Minister has rejected a proposal from the private concessionaire, Asia Era One, to amend the contract for the high-speed rail project connecting three airports.”
• A touch of Japan rolls into the Ayutthaya commute [The Nation]
“The KIHA 40 and KIHA 48 are giving the Don Mueang–Ayutthaya line a fresh identity, pairing low fares and commuter convenience with the charm of revived Japanese.”
• New commuter train to Ayutthaya gets mixed reaction [Bangkok Post]
• SRT cuts advance ticket sales window to 90 days [Bangkok Post]
• Rail infrastructure leads the way as 20 million commute during Songkran [The Nation]
• Sunken WWII rail station resurfaces in Sangkhlaburi after 42 years [The Nation]
• Cranky cat unfairly blamed for train’s 7-hour delay [Bangkok Post]
“Pet upset by heat causes stir for 20 minutes, but Yala-bound train had other problems.”
🇻🇳 Vietnam
• Vietnam breaks ground on first high-speed rail to link Hanoi and Ha Long Bay [VnExpress]
“A 120-kilometer railway with a designed speed of 350 kph broke ground on Sunday morning to cut travel time between Hanoi and Ha Long Bay by five times to 30 minutes.”
• Hyundai Rotem eyes Vietnam’s North-South high-speed railway project [The Investor]
“South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem is seeking to expand its footprint in Vietnam’s rail sector, including potential participation in the country’s planned North-South high-speed railway.”
• Vietnam’s $67BN gamble on high-speed rail [The B1M]
• Three standard-gauge railway lines connecting China: Scale and investment roadmap. [Vietnam VN]
“Vietnam is accelerating the planning of three strategic railway lines connecting with China, with a total investment of over 203.2 trillion VND for the main lines, promoting cross-border trade.”
• Vietnam Railways to launch AI-powered dynamic ticket pricing from May 1 [SGGP]
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