{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1103395,
        "msgid": "trans-asian-railway-needs-25b-1447893297",
        "date": "2001-10-04 00:00:00",
        "title": "Trans Asian Railway needs $2.5b",
        "author": null,
        "source": "",
        "tags": null,
        "topic": null,
        "summary": "Trans Asian Railway needs $2.5b Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Singapore Southeast Asian governments need to spend US$2.5 billion in infrastructure costs to complete the Trans Asian Railway linking Singapore to China, a study said on Wednesday. Commissioned by the Malaysian government, the study published in The Business Times newspaper indicated most of the work on the \"missing links\" of the route needs to be done in Laos and Cambodia.",
        "content": "<p>Trans Asian Railway needs $2.5b<\/p>\n<p>Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Singapore<\/p>\n<p>Southeast Asian governments need to spend US$2.5 billion in<br>\ninfrastructure costs to complete the Trans Asian Railway linking<br>\nSingapore to China, a study said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Commissioned by the Malaysian government, the study published<br>\nin The Business Times newspaper indicated most of the work on the<br>\n\"missing links\" of the route needs to be done in Laos and<br>\nCambodia.<\/p>\n<p>Recommendations from KL Consult Associates earmarked the $2.5<br>\nbillion tab for the rail construction on lines in Thailand,<br>\nMyanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.<\/p>\n<p>\"As far as Malaysia is concerned, we are 100 percent for the<br>\nrailway,\" Transport Minister Ling Liong Sik was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n<p>The massive project was endorsed last year at the Association<br>\nof Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) heads of government informal<br>\nsummit in Singapore, although financing sources remained unclear.<\/p>\n<p>Malaysia, which has been chairing the rotational Trans Asian<br>\nRailway committee, commissioned the study. Progress is expected<br>\nto be raised at a three-day ASEAN Railway conference in Kuala<br>\nLumpur this week.<\/p>\n<p>The railway stretching to Kunming would link up with China's<br>\nstate rail network and eventually connect with the Trans Siberian<br>\nRailroad.<\/p>\n<p>Industry observers, however, told the newspaper the current<br>\nagreement, under which each country undertakes efforts to improve<br>\nits own infrastructure, may not be workable.<\/p>\n<p>\"The poorer countries need to come up with the most money,\"<br>\nsaid an expert. \"It's going to be hard.\"<\/p>\n<p>The railway, initially proposed by Malaysian Prime Minister<br>\nMahathir Mohamad six years ago, has been backed as a boost to<br>\ntourism in addition to helping the integration of the less-<br>\ndeveloped countries, while opening up a cheaper and more reliable<br>\nform of overland transport for trade.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/trans-asian-railway-needs-25b-1447893297",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}