Phnom Penh studies metro system, Bali metro stalls, Penang starts LRT construction, 3 lines under construction in Manila, Cebu subway, Pattaya monorail plan, HCMC opens first metro line, and 2 other unusual metro plans for Vietnam. Welcome to the urban rail transit report for Southeast Asia for 2025. This report covers urban rail transit systems […]
Latest posts at Future Southeast Asia
Savannakhet – Lao Bao Railway
The Savannakhet – Lao Bao Railway is a proposed railway in Southern Laos that will form part of the East-West Economic Corridor Railway. The 220 km railway will run from Savannakhet on the Mekong River to Lao Bao on the border in Vietnam. In November 2012 Giant Consolidated from Malaysia was awarded the contract to […]
Is Indonesia planning a Java-Bali high-speed railway?
There is a proposal to extend the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway to Banyuwangi in East Java. Could this form part of a Java-Bali high-speed railway? Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has proposed extending the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway to Banyuwangi in East Java. There are already plans to extend the line to Surabaya, though the Banyuwangi extension is […]
Penang construction update (2025 edition)
The last days of the DDR Apartments of Vinh
The Quang Trung housing complex in Vinh was built as a show of solidarity by the Deutsche Demokratische Republik. These historic apartments are now 50 years old and are being replaced. The city of Vinh in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam was extensively damaged during the first Indochina War and the Vietnam-American War, […]
Batam, not Bali, should be the financial hub of Indonesia
Indonesia has proposed to turn Bali into a financial hub, but Batam would be a more suitable location. Indonesia has over 900 permanently inhabited islands among its 17,000+ islands, but Bali gets the overwhelming majority of international visitors to the country. The last thing that Bali needs is to be turned into a financial hub like the […]
Southeast Asia Railways Report (2025)
Line 2 Hanoi Metro: Connecting the airport to the old city
Line 2 (Hoan Kiem Line) of the Hanoi Metro is an under-construction rapid transit railway that will connect Noi Bai International Airport to the old city area in Hoan Kiem District. Line 2 will be 42 km in length with 32 stations and 2 depots. Construction of the Nam Thang Long – Tran Hung Dao […]
Hat Yai construction and transport report – 2025 edition
North Bali International Airport: the proposed second airport of Bali
North Bali International Airport (Bandara International Bali Baru) is a proposed second airport in the north of Bali, Indonesia. A new airport for Bali is being considered as the current airport (Ngurah Rai International Airport) is in a built-up urban area, making it difficult for further expansion. There is only one runway at DPS Airport, […]
