The Nusantara Autonomous Rail Transit (ART) is a transit system under trial in Nusantara, the new capital city of Indonesia. The ART is best described as a trackless tram. The tram does not require rails or a purpose-built track like on a people-mover system. This trackless tram operates on the road like a bus. The […]
An Thuong Streets: how Da Nang inadvertently built a vibrant beach neighbourhood
An Thuong Tourist Streets is a neighbourhood on My Khe Beach in Da Nang. Despite the cringe name, this area is a model for how to build a walkable and vibrant beach neighbourhood. Other cities in Southeast Asia should take note. An Thuong Tourist Streets The An Thuong Tourist Streets (also referred to as An […]
Dong Hoi construction update – 2024 edition
Dong Hoi is the capital of Quang Binh Province in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam. The city aspires to be a major tourism destination, but many high-profile construction projects remain unfinished. This construction report is from my visit in August 2024. I previously visited Dong Hoi in August 2019, so it was good […]
Bac Ninh construction and transport projects
Bac Ninh province is located in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. The province is to the east of Hanoi and is considered as part of the Hanoi Capital Region. Bac Ninh is one of the major industrial provinces in Vietnam, and it has become a high-tech manufacturing hub. Some of the big names […]
Future Chiang Mai: construction and transport projects in Chiang Mai
Construction projects in Chiang Mai, including public spaces, apartments, light rail transit, high-speed railway, and the new airport. Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand (by metropolitan area) and the largest city in northern Thailand. Despite it’s size, it’s a relatively low-rise city. The Old City area (inside the historic moat) is off […]
Java Rail Pass proposal: putting Java train travel on the world tourism map
The Java Rail Pass is a proposed tourist rail pass to promote train travel in Java and diversify tourism beyond Bali. The island of Java has one of the most extensive railway networks in Southeast Asia, yet it barely registers interest on an international level. Indonesian Railways (PT Kereta Api Indonesia) has a website that […]
Bangkok should scrap the Light Red Line extension and build this instead
Bangkok is planning to build the Don Mueang–Suvarnabhumi–U-Tapao high-speed railway (the High-Speed Rail Linking Three Airports Project). Bangkok is also planning the eastern extension of the Light Red Line commuter railway in the same corridor. The Light Red Line eastern extension is an unnecessary duplication of resources. The money and labour hours should be directed […]
How to fix Makkasan Station, Bangkok’s failed City Air Terminal
Makkasan Station is a station on the Airport Rail Link (ARL) connecting central Bangkok to Suvarnabhumi Airport. It’s a grand station from the outside, but on the inside it’s a ghost town. [City Air Terminal at Makkasan Station, now off-limits to passengers.] The station was built with check-in counters for flights, so you could check-in […]
Makassar MRT: A proposed urban rail transit system in South Sulawesi
The Makassar MRT is a proposed urban rail transit system in Makassar, South Sulawesi. It’s also known as the Mamminasata Urban Rail Transport (the name of the Makassar metropolitan area), and it’s also being referred to as an LRT. Plans for a transit system in Makassar began in 2011 with a monorail. An LRT/MRT was […]
Bali Beach Tram: A tramway connecting the airport to Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak
The Bali Beach Tram is a proposed tramway along the Bali beachfront. The tram would connect Ngurah Rai International Airport to Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak beaches (collectively known as Semigita Beach). Another proposed alignment is for the tram to connect to the Bali LRT at Kuta Station, and the tram would take passengers to beachfront […]
