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 […]
Latest posts at Future Southeast Asia
Vientiane construction update – 2022 edition
Vientiane has some big projects lined up in order to attract more investment in the capital. Like most cities in the region though, Vientiane was hit hard by the extended international border closure during the pandemic. Laos reopened in May 2022 (over two years since the borders closed), and I went to Vientiane shortly thereafter […]
Future Boten – The gateway city on the Laos-China border
Boten is a town in Northern Laos on the border of China. It is one of the main entry points for freight from China to Southeast Asia, and it has been designated as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). A casino opened in Boten in 2002 to attract gamblers from China (where gambling is illegal in […]
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 […]
Da Nang construction update – 2022 edition
After nearly two years since the international borders closed, Vietnam reopened to the world in March 2022. As soon as I was able to return I went to Da Nang. My last construction report for Da Nang was in the first year of the lockout in November 2020. Few would have predicted that the country […]
Binh Thuan construction update – 2022 edition
Bình Thuan Province in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam is best known for the beach resorts of Phan Thiet and Mui Ne. It doesn’t have the level of tourism of Nha Trang and Da Nang (not having an airport is a major factor), but it has its own niche of visitors. In the […]
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 […]
Medan LRT
The Medan Light Rail Transit (Medan LRT) is a proposed light rail transit system in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The LRT network (called LRT Mebidangro) will have a central station in Merdeka Medan field, and three lines have been proposed for the system. Medan LRT Maps And Lines [Map source.] [Map source.] northsumatrainvest.id: Corridor 1 […]
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 […]
