Even though flying to nearby inland cities appears to be the quickest option, the overall travel time needed to succeed in the airport and fully handle baggage at your destination is definitely comparable to traveling by train.
After the inaugural Japanese Shinkansen bullet train, an increasing number of countries are using high-speed rail as a method of transportation. Not only does it provide extraordinary time and price savings, however it also provides a greener alternative and promising economic growth in areas between stations.
Southeast Asian countries have actually been enticed by this compelling commitment, pushing them to make intriguing progress towards faster and wider rail systems.
For those that wish to try riding high-speed trains in Southeast Asia, you might be curious about the seven lists of the fastest trains within the region as of November 2023.
1. WHOOSH: 350 km/h (Indonesia)
WHOOSH takes the rostrum as the primary high-speed train in Southeast Asia. It covers a 142.3 km stretch connecting the bustling capital Jakarta with Bandung, Indonesia’s third largest city, with a fare of around $19.1 for a full journey of around 50 minutes. This Chinese Fuxing CR400AF train, the style of train utilized by WHOOSH, travels at a better speed than the Japanese Shinkansen bullet trains which travel at 320 km/h.
2. Laos China Railway: 160 km/h (Laos)
This semi-fast train is indeed a source of pride and a revolution in Lao transport. This marks the primary expansion of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and high-speed rail system in Southeast Asia, which is scheduled to finish in Singapore.
The roughly 1,000 km long railway line connects the capital of Vientiane with Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province. The complete journey takes 10.5 hours with first-class tickets costing roughly $110 and second-class tickets costing $68.
3. KLIA Express: 160 km/h (Malaysia)
KLIA Ekspres is one of the vital popular decisions for travelers commuting from Kuala Lumpur Sentral, town center, to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). The route is 57km long and offers a full journey at around $11.79 for roughly 28 minutes to KLIA T1 and 31 minutes to KLIA T2. As a remarkable achievement of German engineering, Siemens produced a train with a top speed of 200 km/h; nonetheless, it is restricted to a maximum operating speed of 160 km/h.
4. Connection to Suvarnabhumi Airport: 160 km/h (Thailand)
Bangkok Airport Link is a vital suburban railway line, seamlessly connecting Suvarnabhumi Airport with Phaya Thai Station (BTS) in central Bangkok via Makassan Station (MRT Petchaburi). Thailand Railway is owned by the National Railway and Asia Era One Company, Ltd. operates the railway system. This 26-minute trip along the 28.6-kilometer track using German Siemens electric multiple units will set you back around $1.26.
5. Electric train (ETS): 140 km/h (Malaysia)
This intercity rail service, which runs on the electrified double-track section of the West Coast Line between Gemas and Padang Besar on the Malaysia-Thailand border, is the fastest meter-gauge railway line.
As of January 2022, it connects 36 stations over a length of over 755 km, and ticket prices range from USD 1.93 to USD 21.86 in three classes: Platinum, Gold and Silver.
6. North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR): 120 km/h (Philippines)
The NSCR is a 147 km long suburban rail network that connects the northern Clark Regional Development Area and New Clark City, through downtown Manila, to town of Calamba in Laguna Province within the southern capital region. Services on rail will include a suburban train, a semi-fast service and an airport express: the fastest with an operating speed of 160 km/h. The entire project is scheduled to be accomplished by 2028.
7. Thailand National Railway ASR Class: 120 km/h (Thailand)
The ASR class train is named “Sprinter” amongst Thais. These British-built diesel multiple units function an important link connecting Bangkok with many cities across Thailand. Take, for instance, the record travel time from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, a region in northern Thailand. It covers the route in an astonishing 1 hour and 55 minutes faster than some other train available.
In an try to join the world’s speedsters, many Southeast Asian countries are constructing and offering an increasing range of huge and semi-high-speed trains.
Source: Multiple official and credible sources.
