Eastern Route of Pan-Asian Railway Line Mapped out

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, April 02, 2002

Eastern Route of Pan-Asian Railway Line Mapped out

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Eastern Route of Pan-Asian Railway Line: Illustration

Feasibility study for the Pan-Asian Railway Line linking Singapore and Kunming has been finished, according to Hong Kong-based Wen Wei Po reports. Of the eastern, western and middle routes discussed, China tends to choose the eastern one, for it costs less money and is easier to build, says Zheng Jiandong, director of Kunming Railway Bureau who is discussing on the railway construction with Malaysian government in Kuala Lumpur.

The Pan-Asian Railway Line covers a full length of 5500 kilometers. The planned eastern route will start from Singapore, runs through Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi to end at Kunming (Click the picture to see illustration). Besides, its feeder-lines will be extended to Myanmar. As estimated, it will take 10 years to construct the railway at a cost of about 3 billion HK dollars. After completion, it can help push forward the political, trade and communication ties between China and eastern Asian countries.

The proposed "western route" and "middle route" consume more investment and are of more technical problems. The "eastern route" is comparatively cheap and easy, says Zheng.

Now the biggest question is to gain international fund, Zheng added. As known, Cambodia is responsible for building a 300-km railway within its own land, and Zheng believes that the fund problem can be easily solved so long as Cambodia allows the Japan and Germany to invest for the section.

By PD Online Staff Member Li Heng

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