ARCEO’S Conference – Asean Railways Portal

Conference is an effective way to share the ideas and information such as development and innovation projects that benefits the countries as well as strengthen close cooperation and partnership among ASEAN countries.

The conference materials consist of conference report and video recorded during the conference. The conference report is a written document including presentation slides and matters discussed during the conference for future reference and action plans.

45th ASEAN Railway CEOs’ Conference from 8 – 12 September 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The 45th ASEAN Railways CEOs’ Conference will be hosted by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) in Kuala Lumpur from 8 to 12 September 2025. Under the theme “Driving Innovation, Connecting Borders”, the event will bring together senior leaders, policymakers and innovators from railway operators across the ASEAN region to advance regional cooperation, share best practices and confront shared challenges in railway operations, marketing, technical systems and cross-border connectivity.

Participants will engage in plenary sessions, CEO-meetings, technical and marketing breakout streams, and networking opportunities aimed at building stronger partnerships, fostering innovation and aligning rail infrastructure development with the broader vision of a seamlessly integrated ASEAN transport network. By hosting the conference, Malaysia reinforces its leadership role in the ASEAN region and signals its commitment to advancing sustainable, resilient and integrated railway systems as strategic enablers of economic growth, connectivity and regional unity.

Key take-aways will include:

Insight into emerging railway technologies and digitalisation.
Strategies for marketing, operations, technical innovation and network interoperability.
Opportunities to establish cross-border and regional partnerships.
A strengthened platform for ASEAN railway operators to collaborate toward the shared vision of “One Community, One Railway Network”.

Here are the links where you can access documents related to the 45th ASEAN Railways CEOs’ Conference (ARCEOs 2025)

42nd ASEAN Railway CEOs’ Conference from 22 – 25 August 2022 in Vietnam

The 42nd ASEAN Railway CEOs’ Conference, annual rotating event among eight South East Asian Nations, was hosted in Vietnam by Vietnam National Railways, on 22 – 25 August 2022.

The first event following the pandemic was devoted by VNR to “Recovery and Development” in keeping with ASEAN’s “One Vision, One Identity, One Community” theme. The North-South High Speed Rail Project is just one of Vietnam’s ambitious plans to modernise and construct new rail lines. The Master Plan for Railway Network Development 2021-2030 and the Master Plan for Railway Objectives and Goals 2031-2050 have each been approved by the Prime Minister’s Office.

After a two-year break, the event provided a fresh opportunity for members to collaborate, share experiences, and map out regional recovery strategies following the COVID crisis. It also provided a platform for them to recommit to building sustainable railroads for the benefit of the entire ASEAN region (for both passenger and freight operations).

The ASEAN railway community was able to come together for two days of plenary and working group meetings (split into three, as usual: CEOs, Marketing & Operations, and Technical), as well as additional cultural and technical trips, pleasant and memorable dinners.

41st ASEAN Railway CEOs’ Conference from 28 – 31 October 2019 in Bangkok

The 41st ASEAN Railway CEOs’ Conference, annual rotating event among six South East Asian Nations, was hosted in Bangkok by SRT, the State Railway of Thailand, on 28 – 31 October 2019.

This 41st edition also marked the return of the Philippines to the ASEAN Railway Grouping, through PNR, the Philippine National Railways, and which is therefore now composed of eight active members:
MPWT-DR of Cambodia, PT. KAI of Indonesia, LRA of Laos, KTMB of Malaysia, MR of Myanmar, PNR of the Philippines, SRT of Thailand and VNR of Vietnam.

The event was the occasion to, once again, share experiences, pool the members’ respective expertise and charter the regional progress that has been accomplished, as well as forge firm and productive bonds between them.

40th ASEAN Railway CEOs’ Conference was held from 26 – 29 November 2018 in Myanmar

The 40th ASEAN Railway CEOs’ Conference was held in Naypyitaw, Myanmar from 26 – 29 November 2018. This annual event, currently rotating every year among six countries (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar), is the occasion to receive a regular update on the latest developments and progress that occur in each of the seven participating countries (Laos is the seventh one), and it is expected that the Philippines will re-join the Grouping by 2019, after 15 years of absence, while Singapore is also in the waiting (Brunei, the 10th ASEAN country member, currently has no railway network).

Over the two days, the ARCEO presented the activities of the participating railway networks (Myanmar Railways / MR, State Railways of Thailand / SRT, Vietnam Railways / VNR, Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Cambodia / MPWT, PT. Kereta Api Indonesia / KAI, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad / KTM, Lao Railways Authority / LR), split into three groups with parallel sessions: CEO Group, Technical Working Group and Marketing & Operation Group.

UIC is now a regular Special Guest, and Milko Papazoff, UIC ASEAN Representative, delivered a presentation (“Sustainable Urban Development – Railways and its Interfaces with the Urban Areas”) during the Plenary Session on the first day (27 November 2018) after the screening of two videos: message from UIC Director General Jean-Pierre Loubinoux and “UIC at a Glance”.