Trans-Asia rail route flagged for 2020
The six Greater Mekong Sub-region countries have approved plans to establish a transnational rail link to improve transportation networks between neighbouring nations.
The rail link will stretch from Bangkok to Kunming in China.
A weekend meeting of the Greater Mekong Sub-region committee has given the green light to the further investigation of the development.
Ministers for the six countries, Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam agreed to let the Asian Development Bank (ADB) conduct a feasibility study on the transportation link, assessing the added benefit to each involved nation.
The planned network will connect approximately 300 million people from the six nations.
The most viable route will see the rail line stretch from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, then on to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi before ending up in Nanning and Kunming in China.
The link will use existing tracks where possible while several lines currently under construction will be incorporated into the project.
Preliminary expectations are that the full route will be open by 2020.
Ian Jarrett
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