This is an overview of Southeast Asia railway projects under construction or that have been in the news over the last year. Projects that are planned but haven’t made any progress over the last year are not mentioned. There is an ongoing list of future projects on the railways page. This list is for national […]
Railways
Trans-Sumatra Railway
The Trans-Sumatra Railway is a proposed railway line in Sumatra that would run from Aceh in the north to Lampung in the south. The total length would be over 2,000 kilometres, and it would connect major cities and ports of Sumatra. President Joko Widodo announced the plan for the Trans-Sumatra Railway in December 2014, and […]
Laos-China Railway review – observations while riding the train from Vientiane to Boten
The Laos-China Railway opened in December 2021, and I would have tried to get a ticket on the inaugural trip had the borders been open. I was in Thailand when Laos reopened on the 9th of May, so I took the opportunity to visit shortly thereafter. I have written a Laos-China Railway travel guide on […]
Proposed speeds of the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City Express Railway
Should the future Vietnam North-South Express Railway be a high-speed or semi-high-speed railway? Vietnam is planning to commence construction of the North-South express railway in 2028-2029. Even with years of feasibility studies and consultancy reports, no decision has been made on how fast the new railway should be. The fastest proposal has called for a […]
Tuy Phong Station: How the high-speed railway in Vietnam could transform this fishing port
The proposed high-speed railway in Vietnam includes a stop in the coastal district of Tuy Phong. Could this fishing port become the next boom town? Edit: A different alignment has been chosen over the original alignment that was originally published. The station in this area is now called Phan Ri, though it is still in […]
The mixed-gauge mess of Thailand’s railways
Thailand is in the process of expanding and duplicating railway lines across the country. While this is a much-needed improvement to the railway network, the choice of railway gauge will create further problems and cost more in the future. Thailand’s railways operate on a metre gauge. There are several gauges used around the world, but […]
Fastest Trains In Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is undergoing a renewal of railways across the region, with old lines being upgraded, and new high-speed railways planned and under construction. Here are the fastest trains in Southeast Asia, as well as lines under construction, and proposed future lines. Fastest Trains In Southeast Asia Fastest Trains In Southeast Asia (Under Construction) Fastest […]
Bangkok – Kuala Lumpur High-Speed Railway
The Bangkok – Kuala Lumpur High-Speed Railway is a proposed standard gauge railway that would run alongside the current meter-gauge railway used by Thailand and Malaysia. The line would be between 1,400km and 1,500km long and would be able to make the trip in six hours. The line would go via Hat Yai-Padang Besar and […]
Bangkok – Hua Hin High-Speed Railway
The Bangkok – Hua Hin high-speed railway is a proposed railway that would run on a standard gauge track at up to 250 kilometres per hour. The current railway is a meter gauge line that takes from 4 to 5 hours to travel the 229.8 km from Bangkok Hualamphong to Hua Hin. This is being […]
Ban Phai – Nakhon Phanom Railway
The Ban Phai – Nakhon Phanom Railway is a proposed 355-km railway in Northeast Thailand. The line would begin at Ban Phai on the current Northeast Line and travel to Maha Sarakham, Roi Et, Mukdahan and Nakhon Phanom. The purpose of the line is to connect provinces of the Mekong region to Laem Chabang Port […]
