Indonesian authorities have expressed an interest in high-speed rail for the densely-populated island of Java, probably linking the cities of Jakarta, Bandung, and Surabaya.^[21] In 2006, the Indonesian Department of Transportation said that proposals had been submitted by Chinese, French, and German interests.^[21] In 2008, it was announced that the Department of Transportation was seeking investors for a 683 km high speed line between Jakarta and Surabaya, expected to cost US$6.14 billion.^[22]

Malaysia and Singapore

^{A high-speed rail running at 300 km/h (186 mph) to link Kuala Lumpur and Singapore was proposed in 2006 by YTL Corporation, operator of the KLIA Express in Malaysia, although the company did propose a similar system back in the late 1990s. If built, it would be the first transborder high speed line outside of Europe[citation needed], cutting travel time to 90 minutes, compared with 4 hours of highway drive, 7 hours currently by standard rail, 2 hours of flight including commuting to and from airport, check in and boarding. A Bangkok - Kuala Lumpur - Singapore line spanning the three nations has been suggested previously, though no action has been taken. Plans for the project were put on hold in April 2008 due to high cost to the government, estimated at about RM8 billion[23]. The project also faces opposition from rail operator rivals such as Keretapi Tanah Melayu, and the liberalisation of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore air route further dampened prospects for the proposal.}

^{In 2007, Siemens expressed interest in becoming the technology provider for the proposed rail link[24]. By the middle of 2009, YTL again revived talk on the project and expressed hope that the Malaysian government would relook at the proposal[25], claiming that delays in the project has caused development costs to rise over the years[26].}

Thailand

^{The State Railway of Thailand and the Thai Ministry of Transport have plans for several high speed rail lines. In October 2009, it was reported that funding was being sought for four lines, linking Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Nong Khai, Chanthaburi, and Padang Besar.[27] In November, it was reported that the Thai cabinet had approved the plan, with the shorter route to Chanthaburi being intended for construction first.[28]}

Vietnam

Vietnam Railways are planning a 1555 km high-speed link from its capital Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City in the south, capable of running at 250 to 300 km/h (155 to 186 mph).^[29] The funding of the $55 billion line will mostly come from the Vietnamese government, with the help of Japanese aid.^[30] The current single track line has journey times from just under thirty hours,^[31] and initially (2013) this would be cut to less than nine hours. From there, a speedup to 5 hours (300 km/h or 186 mph max) by 2025 is planned. The Vietnamese prime minister has set a target to complete the line by 2013, three years sooner than the previously announced nine year construction time.^[32] These new rail lines will have a standard gauge of 1.435 m (the existing line is narrow gauge of 1.000 m)^[33] More recent reports suggest Japanese development aid would only be available in stages, with completion of the line not expected until the mid 2030s. The same reports assert that a condition of that aid would be the export of Shinkansen technology, confirming the high-speed nature of the line.^[29]