Enhancing Regional Freight Connectivity for Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia’s location along major global shipping lanes and growing status as a production and consumption centre has created a surge in demand for international trade. Policy makers in the region have recognised that investing in sustainable and resilient infrastructure will be critical to managing demand growth while delivering on national goals for decarbonisation.

To set the stage for this study, the ITF has published a series of methodology papers that provide policy makers across the globe with the tools to define, measure and enhance the connectivity, decarbonisation, and resilience of freight transport systems.

1. Read “Enhancing freight transport connectivity through analytical frameworks” by Dr Ruth Banomyong
2. Read “Enhancing freight transport decarbonisation through analytical frameworks” by Dr Alan McKinnon
3. Read “Enhancing freight transport resilience through analytical frameworks” by Dr Jasper Verschuur
4. Read “Evaluating the relationships between connectivity, decarbonisation, and resilience in freight transport” by Dr Alan McKinnon

Then, to understand the key challenges and opportunities for freight transport in Southeast Asia, the ITF conducted a detailed review of frieght transport policy and infrastructure across the region and surveyed hundreds of local experts. Their responses provide valuable insights for national transport planning.

Read "Regional freight transport infrastructure and policy in Southeast Asia: An overview" by Dr Atit Tippichai

Explore the full survey results for Southeast Asia

The remainder of the study focuses on analysing and quantifying the potential of ambitious policies and infrastructure investment to enhance the connectivity, decarbonisation, and resilience of the freight transport sector in Southeast Asia.

The ITF Global Freight Model will be used to forecast transport activity and network performance under alternative scenarios, allowing the study to:

• Identify potential connectivity and infrastructure gaps by 2050.
• Benchmark national freight transport policies against OECD best practices, focusing on opportunities to reduce CO2 emissions and improve infrastructure resilience.
• Develop recommendations on closing the potential connectivity and infrastructure gaps and propose policy pathways for enhancing the sustainability and resilience of the freight transport sector in Southeast Asia.

This work is part of the Sustainable Infrastructure Programme in Asia – Transport (SIPA-T) which helps decision-makers in Central and Southeast Asia to identify ways to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of transport networks.