The Bangkok Mass Transit System began with the launch of two BTS Skytrain lines in 1999. There are now eight lines operating, with more lines planned and under construction. The urban rail transit system of Bangkok is comprised of a mixture of railway systems operated by three different companies. There is no singular brand like […]
Hanoi beyond Hoan Kiem – how the metro will open up the city outside the old quarter
Hanoi is a city of over 8 million people that is composed of 12 urban districts, 1 district-level town, and 17 rural districts. Most visitors – including myself – stay in the old quarter in Hoan Kiem district, and visit Ba Dinh District (the political and cultural heart of Vietnam). With a new metro system […]
The new Bangkok metro to Chinatown and the Old City, and future old city metro plans
Bangkok is slowly but surely building out its mass transit system to help ease its infamous traffic problems. In July 2019 the western extension of the MRT Blue Line opened, making it the first railway of any kind in the Bangkok old city area. The extension is from Hua Lamphong (the main railway station), through […]
An updated map of the future Saigon Metro
[HCMC Metro Map (download full resolution image here.] Out of all the megacities of Southeast Asia, Saigon is the only city without any form of urban rail transit. Even the traffic-dystopias of Jakarta and Manila have a few rail lines between them. This will change when the first metro line in Saigon opens sometime after […]
Metro construction, Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam
I took this photo as a historical reference to the changing face of Ho Chi Minh City. The city is finally getting a sorely needed metro system and there are numerous blocks in district 1 that are now boarded up in preparation for construction. The building in the foreground is the Saigon Tax Trade Centre; […]
