Infrastructure
Transport and shipping
Railway could be built sooner than planned: Official
Much has been done to move construction of the Vientiane-China railway forward following the groundbreaking ceremony that took place last month, the Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport has said. Mr Lattanamany Khounnivong told local media last week that construction could take just over four ...
Thailand-Cambodia rail link complete by December
Construction of a restored rail link with Cambodia to improve transport in the Mekong sub-region will be completed by the end of 2016, Khmer officials say. The Phnom Penh Post reported on 4 January that Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon visited the construction site in Banteay Meanchey province, ...
ASEAN's first rail-freight X-ray terminal opens in Chon Buri
The Customs Department has opened an X-ray scanning terminal for rail freight, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, at the Laem Chabang port in Si Racha district of Thailand’s Chon Buri province. The opening ceremony was witnessed by chiefs of the department, the State Railway ...
Hanoi-Vientiane highway may cost at least $4.5 billion
The manager of a highway project linking Hanoi with Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, has estimated the cost for the 707-kilometer route at US$4.52 billion. In its latest plan submitted to the transport ministry, the project’s manager Unit 85 said the six-lane highway will go through ...
Starbucks opens doors in airport
The long-awaited Starbucks coffee chain opened its doors to passengers on 22 December in the Phnom Penh International Airport’s new terminal. Keep reading ...
New group aims to help cut Myanmar road deaths by half
Road deaths need to be cut by 2000 a year or they will exceed regional targets, a new traffic-safety NGO says. ASEAN has called on member countries to reduce road deaths by half over the next five years, and the Myanmar Organisation for Road Safety, which ...
Mekong area needs $3.8b for projects
The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region will need more than VND86.3 trillion (US$3.83 billion) in the 2016-20 period to develop key infrastructure projects to fuel its economic growth, according to the Ministry of Transport. Around VND65 trillion ($2.8 billion) of the total funding will go to ...
Rate of water accidents still high
Domestic waterways play a critical role in passenger and cargo transport in the Mekong Delta, but the rate of accidents remains at a high level due to lack of attention from local and related authorities. Speaking at a seminar on waterway safety held in the Delta ...
Motorists taking shortcut to Xieng Khuang, Huaphan
More people from Vientiane and the southern provinces travelling to Xieng Khuang and Huaphan will use the road through Borikhamxay province once an upgrade to a damaged section is complete because it cuts significant time from the journey. A resident of Xieng Khuang province’s Paek district, ...
Organiser arrested over march
The organiser of a protest by community members who face eviction from their homes to make way for a railway project in Banteay Meanchey province was detained on 14 December after demonstrators burned an effigy and dragged its decapitated body through the streets. About 50 protesters marched ...