Southeast Asian countries accelerated the construction of urban rail transit
On November 21, Thailand, Bangkok Metro pink Line opened to the public for a month of trial service. The line is 34.5 km long and passes through a number of tourist attractions and business districts in northern Thailand. According to reports, the pink line will officially operate on December 18, and it is expected that the daily passenger flow will exceed 100,000 people. Bangkok Metro ticket department manager Prayu told reporters that the opening of the pink line will effectively ease the traffic pressure in northern Bangkok and improve the convenience and comfort of people.
In recent years, Southeast Asian countries have actively accelerated the construction of urban rail transit networks. According to incomplete statistics, by 2024, the total mileage of urban rail transit in Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam will be more than 1,300 kilometers. Accelerating the construction of urban rail transit is becoming an important means for regional countries to stimulate economic growth, improve social governance and enhance investment competitiveness.
Increase planning investment to enhance urban competitiveness
According to the ADB report, Southeast Asian countries with younger demographics need to further strengthen their infrastructure, including efficient transport systems, in order to benefit more from the demographic dividend. At present, Southeast Asian countries are increasing the planning and investment in urban rail transit, in order to improve the traffic congestion at the same time, improve urban competitiveness.
In November last year, the third phase of the Singapore Metro Tongshen-East Coast Line was officially opened to traffic. According to reports, after the line is fully opened to traffic, it will become the closest subway line to residential areas. At present, the total length of Singapore's urban rail transit is more than 200 kilometers. According to the plan, the mileage of urban rail transit will increase to 360 kilometers by 2030 and 400 kilometers by 2040. Singapore's Ministry of Transport said the government plans to increase investment by about 60 billion Singapore dollars (1 yuan) to develop rail transit.
Vietnam's first light rail, the Hanoi Kiling-Ha Dong Line, was officially put into operation in January last year, carrying about 15,000 passengers per day. In order to expand the construction of rail transit projects, Hanoi City released the "Hanoi Urban Underground Space Master Plan 2030-2050" in April last year, including plans to build six new subway lines and 81 subway stations. In addition, Ho Chi Minh City Metro Line 1 Bincheng - Xian Quan Line is also under construction. Vietnam is also working with the Asian Development Bank and others to finance metro projects.
Jakarta's first metro line officially opened in April 2019. Indonesian Transport Minister Budi Karia Sumadi said the second phase of the line is expected to carry 433,000 passengers per day when it opens around 2024. William, head of the Jakarta Metro Development Group, said the city aims to have 230 kilometers of metro by 2030.
In order to speed up the improvement of the urban rail transit network, Thailand has introduced social capital while expanding public investment, and solved the project funding problem through the government and social capital cooperation (PPP). In an article, Southeast Asia Infrastructure magazine pointed out that the PPP investment model is very necessary for countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia to play an important role in building modern and sustainable infrastructure.
Chinese enterprises help local rail transit development
In recent years, Chinese enterprises have actively participated in the construction of urban rail transit in Southeast Asian countries, helping local projects in engineering construction, train control, passenger station construction, system integration, and operation management.
In March this year, the Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Metro Line 2, which was contracted by China Communications Construction Corporation, was officially opened to traffic. With a total length of 57.7 km and 36 stations, the line has become a north-south "major artery" in Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding rail transit network, connecting important landscapes such as the Kuala Lumpur Twin Towers. The Malaysian owners praised the project undertaken by Chinese enterprises, which greatly improved the urban traffic congestion and inconvenience.
In Singapore, the TEL4 phase of the Singapore Metro T250A project, which was undertaken by the China Railway Bureau, was accepted and handed over in April last year. Eight stations and 12 groups of switches built by Chinese enterprises have achieved the goal of "zero accidents in millions of working hours". The project was awarded the Safety Excellence Award at the Singapore Government's annual Safety, Health and Environmental Protection Awards Ceremony. Officials from the Singapore Land Transport Authority's Rail Agency and the head of the MRT operating company praised the project as a model of rail engineering.
While building projects, Chinese companies are also helping train local talents in the field of rail transit. Hanoi Light Rail Jiling - Ha Dong Line is China's first overseas light rail project that integrates the whole industrial chain of standards, construction technology, equipment and materials, supervision and operation management. Meng Qiuxuan, the Chinese personnel responsible for the training work, told reporters that since the start of construction, the sixth Bureau of China Railway has trained nearly 7,000 local employees and trained the first batch of professional talents for Vietnam's light rail driving, operation and maintenance.
Vu Hong Phuong, general manager of the Railway Management Committee of the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam, believes that China has advanced railway construction and operation experience, and Chinese enterprises have high construction organization and coordination capabilities and technical levels. Viren Phitchaweng Padi, director of the Thailand-China "Belt and Road" Research Center in Thailand, said that Chinese enterprises have advanced technologies and intelligent operation modes in the field of rail transit, and have become important partners in Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand.