Singapore to Vientiane via Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok

[jjb1970]

Some more high speed rail news from SE Asia, looks like the planned North - South line in Vietnam may be going forward:

 

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/asean/after-repeated-delays-vietnams-us70-billion-high-speed-railway-finally-see

 

That would be a huge boost as the existing line isn't great.

[jjb1970]

And an update on the Thai link to Lao and China:

 

https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2023/12/20/construction-of-thai-railway-on-track-to-link-with-laos

[BachelorBoy]

On 21/12/2023 at 16:16, jjb1970 said:

Some more high speed rail news from SE Asia, looks like the planned North - South line in Vietnam may be going forward:

 

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/asean/after-repeated-delays-vietnams-us70-billion-high-speed-railway-finally-see

 

That would be a huge boost as the existing line isn't great.

 

Everybody wants to befriend the Vietnamese these days. The Japanese are offering help on this, and Xi jinping was in Hanoi a few weeks ago offering to build a new railway to link Vietnam to China.

 

 

[jjb1970]

I think the Vietnamese are quite astute in balancing politically. They're now a pretty important economy and strategically positioned and as such the major global players want in (or alternatively, want Vietnam as one of their pieces) but so far at least Vietnam is acting on its own terms and despite historical enmities with China (which predate European and American interference in the area) business is business. 

[BachelorBoy]

22 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

I think the Vietnamese are quite astute in balancing politically.

 

Well, they've won wars against three nuclear powers.

 

France, America, and China.

 

They deserve to be confident, and feel they have to be wooed.

 

[jjb1970]

Vietnam seems pretty sensible in being motivated by their own interests and seeing the games of big powers in the region as both risk and opportunity. They can't control or stop the power games between China and the US so try to follow their own path and use both sides as necessary. 

[jjb1970]

https://www.msn.com/en-sg/news/singapore/japanese-firms-withdraw-from-malaysia-singapore-high-speed-rail-project/ar-AA1mW7DV?ocid=msedgntp&pc=NMTS&cvid=0ebf121d249f408b82bc5684714293a1&ei=14

[whart57]

The trouble with digital photography is that you tend to take so many pictures you overlook some nice ones. I came across this one while looking for some pics needed for a modelling project. It's the loco headshunt at Thonburi where the locos pass by with a temple in the background. I'd tried many times to get a decent shot of that but in 2016 I seem to have managed it.

 

[BachelorBoy]

A new-ish model railway shop in Kuala Lumpur

 

https://www.facebook.com/kaetapimodelrailways

 

d sc

Edited January 19 by BachelorBoy
added screenshot

[jjb1970]

Progress for the new Jurong Region Line at Gek Poh, quite a lot of the overhead blocks are now in place and the new station is making progress.

 

 

[jjb1970]

I just heard construction has been suspended on this section as they are investigating a fatal accident.  RIP to the victim.

[Flanged Wheel]

This is the first of three posts that I’m going to add to this thread. They all add photos from our recent trip from Padang Besar on the Malaysia/Thailand border to Bangkok. The first post (this one) contains photos of Padang Besar and the KTM trains. The second post will have the SRT sleeper train pictures and the third will have some photos of the new Thai railway infrastructure. None of the photos will win awards but they hopefully give an insight into this stretch of line which firmly falls within the thread topic. There will probably be some more later in the week when we catch the train up to Phitsanulok as well as some Laos railway photos next month (we’re using the new line from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng and then onto Vientiane). If @jjb1970 thinks this is a thread hijack, I’ll happily move them elsewhere with my apologies but they seem to fit the theme to my mind.

 

First up is the Malaysian KTM ETS (Electric Train Service) that runs to Kuala Lumpur. This one is actually at the new station at Butterworth (for the ferry to Penang Island). We didn’t ride on this one, taking a local commuter train up to the border (it was a Sunday and very full - we stood for two hours).

 

 

On to Pendang Besar, this was an SRT locomotive running on to 3rd class coaching stock for a local journey up to Hat Yai (about an hour north). The view is looking north towards Thailand.

 

 

From the same viewpoint, looking in the other direction, one has a view of the container sidings. There are through lines from Thailand to Malaysia (the two on the right) but there also seemed to be containers arriving by lorry and being transferred on to Malaysian trains heading south. 

 

 

[Flanged Wheel]

As promised threatened earlier, here is the second post showing the sleeper train up to Bangkok. Leaving at 5pm, it arrives in Bangkok around 9am the next morning. Tickets were a very reasonable 22GBP and onboard meals could be bought for very little as well. The second class accommodation was very comfortable with beds that ran longitudinally down the carriage. Although the train is only three carriages here, more are added at Hat Yai, including some third class coaches which looked pretty grim and lacked air conditioning. All in all, it was an extremely pleasant and straight forward experience.

 

The locomotive power was Chinese built in 2022.

 

 

 

Ready for departure with one third class coach and two second class coaches.

 

 

Interior view of the sleeping coach. The seats are arranged in pairs but the lower ones fold flat into one single bed and then there is another single bed that folds down above. Very neat and very comfortable. 

 

[Flanged Wheel]

Finally, a couple of views of the infrastructure improvements in southern Thailand. There was noticeable work going on at many of the regional stations in the 200km south of Bangkok. All of the stations seemed to be in the process of being expanded and modernised to the same design. 

 

Finally we arrived into the very shiny and new Aphiwat station in Bangkok. Lots and lots of space with a very “airport terminal” feel to it. Reasonably convenient for the centre of the city as well.

 

 

Here endeth the saga…

[jjb1970]

No thread drift at all, please keep posting!! The thread became about Southeast Asia in general and anything from the region is most welcome.

[BachelorBoy]

 

NORMAN GOH and TSUBASA SURUGA, Nikkei staff writers

 

March 6, 2024 12:22 JST

KUALA LUMPUR/SINGAPORE -- Malaysia is reviving a plan to build the country's first high-speed railway connecting its capital of Kuala Lumpur to neighboring Singapore after the two governments failed to reach an agreement on an earlier version of the project.

The first seven proposals submitted recently by the private sector include bids from consortiums led by state-owned China Railway Construction; South Korea's Hyundai Rotem, a Hyundai Motor unit focused on railways and defense; and local conglomerates such as MMC, Gamuda, YTL, WCT Holdings and Berjaya, according to people familiar with the matter.

MyHSR, the government-owned entity leading the project, declined to name the companies interested in the project. Japanese companies did not submit proposals during the expression-of-interest process that ended Jan. 15.

 

MyHSR will shortlist three to four consortiums for the next phase, the request for proposals round, as early as this month and present its review of the bids to the cabinet, sources said. The Malaysian government is expected to present the proposal to Singapore over the next few months to determine if the city-state wants to take part in the project.

"We want to finalize [the proposal] as quickly as possible, hopefully over the next three to four months," a Malaysian official told Nikkei Asia. MyHSR is also discussing an option to extend the line from Kuala Lumpur only to the southern state of Johor if Singapore decides not to participate.

 

 

The expression-of-interest phase of the bidding follows Malaysia's call in July last year for the private sector to submit proposals to develop and operate the project through a public-private partnership model.

In August, Singapore said it was willing to discuss any new proposal from Malaysia "starting from a clean state," then-Acting Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat told parliament. The city-state said at the time that it had not received any new proposals from its neighbor.

 

The revived plan comes as momentum grows for Malaysia to enhance its transport system and help make Johor a regional investment destination. The government signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore in January to jointly develop a special economic zone in the southern state as a new engine of growth.

Sultan Ibrahim of Johor, who became Malaysia's new King in January, said he wants to revive the project. "I will make it [come back] on," he told Singapore's Straits Times in an interview published in December.

But Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said the government will not fund the project, and is instead seeking privately backed proposals. Due to the country's financial constraints, the government favors proposals with "comprehensive financing," an official told Nikkei Asia.

During the initial review of the private-sector proposals, the Chinese consortium consisting of China Railway Construction, China Communications Construction and the Export-Import Bank of China, was seen as a strong candidate for the shortlist, given its financing scheme, sources said.

 

The high-speed railway project with Singapore was first floated in 2013 during former Prime Minister Najib Razak's administration. The 350-kilometer link, which was agreed in 2016 and due to open in 2026, would have cut travel time between the two cities to about 90 minutes, versus more than four hours by car.

The high-speed rail line had been expected to boost cross-border business as well as development of areas along the line. The two neighbors have close economic ties, with the air route linking Singapore and Kuala Lumpur one of the busiest in the world.

At the time, the project was estimated to cost around $17 billion, and companies from China, Japan, South Korea and Europe had expressed interest in contracts to build, operate and finance the trains and rail assets.

But the project was hit by multiple delays due to escalating costs and changes in plans. The project was eventually scrapped in 2021, after Malaysia and Singapore failed to reach an agreement. Malaysia paid more than 100 million Singaporean dollars ($74 million) in compensation to Singapore for the termination.

 

But analysts say significant hurdles will need to be overcome if Malaysia is to complete the project. At an estimated cost of up to 120 billion ringgit ($25 billion), funding is another obstacle for the government, which seeks to pay for the rail line with capital exclusively from private companies.

Adib Zalkapli, director at advisory BowerGroupAsia, said the project is "very ambitious," and will be "costly" for Malaysia to complete without clear government support, although the country's tight fiscal position poses serious constraints.

To shore up the country's fiscal position, Malaysia in October passed legislation to limit the country's debt to 60% of gross domestic product within three to five years. The country's debt as of December had reached 1.5 trillion ringgit, or over 80% of GDP, well above this target.

Additional reporting by Dylan Loh.

[St Enodoc]

28 minutes ago, BachelorBoy said:

 

NORMAN GOH and TSUBASA SURUGA, Nikkei staff writers

 

March 6, 2024 12:22 JST

KUALA LUMPUR/SINGAPORE -- Malaysia is reviving a plan to build the country's first high-speed railway connecting its capital of Kuala Lumpur to neighboring Singapore after the two governments failed to reach an agreement on an earlier version of the project.

The first seven proposals submitted recently by the private sector include bids from consortiums led by state-owned China Railway Construction; South Korea's Hyundai Rotem, a Hyundai Motor unit focused on railways and defense; and local conglomerates such as MMC, Gamuda, YTL, WCT Holdings and Berjaya, according to people familiar with the matter.

MyHSR, the government-owned entity leading the project, declined to name the companies interested in the project. Japanese companies did not submit proposals during the expression-of-interest process that ended Jan. 15.

 

MyHSR will shortlist three to four consortiums for the next phase, the request for proposals round, as early as this month and present its review of the bids to the cabinet, sources said. The Malaysian government is expected to present the proposal to Singapore over the next few months to determine if the city-state wants to take part in the project.

"We want to finalize [the proposal] as quickly as possible, hopefully over the next three to four months," a Malaysian official told Nikkei Asia. MyHSR is also discussing an option to extend the line from Kuala Lumpur only to the southern state of Johor if Singapore decides not to participate.

 

 

The expression-of-interest phase of the bidding follows Malaysia's call in July last year for the private sector to submit proposals to develop and operate the project through a public-private partnership model.

In August, Singapore said it was willing to discuss any new proposal from Malaysia "starting from a clean state," then-Acting Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat told parliament. The city-state said at the time that it had not received any new proposals from its neighbor.

 

The revived plan comes as momentum grows for Malaysia to enhance its transport system and help make Johor a regional investment destination. The government signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore in January to jointly develop a special economic zone in the southern state as a new engine of growth.

Sultan Ibrahim of Johor, who became Malaysia's new King in January, said he wants to revive the project. "I will make it [come back] on," he told Singapore's Straits Times in an interview published in December.

But Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said the government will not fund the project, and is instead seeking privately backed proposals. Due to the country's financial constraints, the government favors proposals with "comprehensive financing," an official told Nikkei Asia.

During the initial review of the private-sector proposals, the Chinese consortium consisting of China Railway Construction, China Communications Construction and the Export-Import Bank of China, was seen as a strong candidate for the shortlist, given its financing scheme, sources said.

 

The high-speed railway project with Singapore was first floated in 2013 during former Prime Minister Najib Razak's administration. The 350-kilometer link, which was agreed in 2016 and due to open in 2026, would have cut travel time between the two cities to about 90 minutes, versus more than four hours by car.

The high-speed rail line had been expected to boost cross-border business as well as development of areas along the line. The two neighbors have close economic ties, with the air route linking Singapore and Kuala Lumpur one of the busiest in the world.

At the time, the project was estimated to cost around $17 billion, and companies from China, Japan, South Korea and Europe had expressed interest in contracts to build, operate and finance the trains and rail assets.

But the project was hit by multiple delays due to escalating costs and changes in plans. The project was eventually scrapped in 2021, after Malaysia and Singapore failed to reach an agreement. Malaysia paid more than 100 million Singaporean dollars ($74 million) in compensation to Singapore for the termination.

 

But analysts say significant hurdles will need to be overcome if Malaysia is to complete the project. At an estimated cost of up to 120 billion ringgit ($25 billion), funding is another obstacle for the government, which seeks to pay for the rail line with capital exclusively from private companies.

Adib Zalkapli, director at advisory BowerGroupAsia, said the project is "very ambitious," and will be "costly" for Malaysia to complete without clear government support, although the country's tight fiscal position poses serious constraints.

To shore up the country's fiscal position, Malaysia in October passed legislation to limit the country's debt to 60% of gross domestic product within three to five years. The country's debt as of December had reached 1.5 trillion ringgit, or over 80% of GDP, well above this target.

Additional reporting by Dylan Loh.

I'll believe it when I see it, I'm afraid.

[BachelorBoy]

1 hour ago, St Enodoc said:

I'll believe it when I see it, I'm afraid.

 

Me too. 

[BachelorBoy]

The Great Leisure Heritage Rail project to restore at least one Class 56 Malayan Railway Pacific for trains from KL to Butterworth seems to show some signs of progress. I had been very sceptical

 

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1215608552733824

[BachelorBoy]

 

 

[EddieB]

564.25 (or more likely 562.04 in reality) was plinthed across the forecourt from Bukit Mertajam: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@5.3672427,100.4477927,3a,75y,152.54h,82.54t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smh38pAueMC3mlzxIq6FQ1w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu

 

I remain sceptical about the viability of the operation!

[Flanged Wheel]

I did warn you that there would be more…

 

I’d hoped to post this a bit earlier but I’ve been boring the pants off the ERs on legal matters so this is a couple of days late. On Wednesday, we took the train from Bangkok to Tha Sak, changing at Phitsanulok. If you don’t know where Tha Sak is, then don’t worry. Neither did I until we found out that some friends from our church in the UK were working in this region. Basically, it’s halfway between Bangkok and Chiang Mai in central Thailand in the province of Uttaradit (that everybody in Thailand seems to regard as a rural backwater, although it is a very pretty and friendly one).

 

We left on a ‘Special Express’, in reality, three second class carriages in a DMU formation, from the new Aphiwat terminal (that we arrived in on the sleeper earlier in the week). It was bound for Chiang Mai and although there were a few Westerners, it wasn’t overwhelmed with tourists. Four hours later, we arrived at the rather pretty station in Phitsanulok and ten minutes later, we were on a connecting local train (sans AC) to Tha Sak. An hour after that, we surprised our hosts by arriving at the station on time. It was obvious that there is an awful lot of infrastructure improvement on the railway taking place north of Bangkok. Clearly Thailand is investing in its railways (and actually constructing things).

 

Anyway, pictures paint a thousand words etc. etc… More to follow in the next couple of posts (I really need to get around to sorting RMWeb membership).

 

Interior view of the shiny Aphiwat station.

 

 

View of the Bangkok to Chiang Mai ‘Special Express’ (Train Number 7).

 

 

Yard north of Bangkok Aphiwat station with locomotives in various states of repair.

 

[Flanged Wheel]

The next group of photos were taken at Phitsanulok (given that we only had ten minutes, I risked significant spousal wrath for these shots so you’d better appreciate them…)

 

Local train from Phitsanulok to Lopburi (further south).

 

 

Signal cabin and tankers.

 

 

I suspect that these are ballast wagons but that is a completely uneducated guess, so do feel free to correct me…

 

[Flanged Wheel]

And finally (breathing a sigh of relief as we limp over the finish line)…

 

A rather nicely restored water crane at Phitsanulok station.

 

 

And last, but by no means, least, rural Thai railway charm in the twenty-first century taking the form of a quiet afternoon at Tha Sak station.

 

 

As ever, thank you for the interest shown and to @jjb1970 for allowing his thread to be used to host my wandering. Next up will be Laos and the new Chinese railway from Luang Prabang to Vientiane but that is a couple of weeks off. We’re taking the road up through northern Thailand and then a slow boat down the Mekong to Luang Prabang in Laos.

[jjb1970]

Some updates on construction of the Jurong Region Line. This is Behar Junction, near Gek Poh, where the East-West section from Choa Chu Kang will join the North South section from Tawas to Boon Lay (with extension at both ends planned for later stages. The Jurong Region Line is taking a different approach to other MRT lines in not being an out and back or circle (not entirely true, the circle line has a spur to Dhoby Ghaut and the Changi Airport link is effectively a spur from the East-West Line at Tanah Merah) and having several links.