Rail link project to get a boost

Rail link project to get a boost

SINGAPORE (AP): A century-old scheme to build a railroad
linking Southeast Asia with China - and eventually Europe - will
receive a strong boost at a meeting of regional leaders here, a
top official said on Thursday.

"The summit will adopt a route," Malaysia's Foreign Minister
Syed Hamid Albar said. "Then we will move forward from that."

The railroad, first proposed by Malaysian Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad in 1995, would snake through five of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations' 10 member states and
would have branches connecting it to two more.

The scheme, which would cost at least US$2 billion and take a
decade to complete, also has received strong backing from China.

Malaysia, which was given a coordinating role in the massive
undertaking, has financed a feasibility study that was
tentatively approved by ASEAN transport ministers at their
meeting in Hanoi in September.

ASEAN officials say they expect the project to help promote
economic development, trade and tourism throughout Southeast
Asia.

The network would also help promote a sense of kinship among
the peoples of the region, who have historically been isolated
from each other due to poor transportation links.

"There is a desire to create an ASEAN identity," Syed Hamid
told reporters.

The proposals envisage a railway linking Singapore and the
resort city of Kunming in southern China. It would be between
4,500 and 5,500 kilometers long (2,800 to 3,400 miles), depending
on the routing adopted.

The works would include upgrades to existing tracks and
signaling equipment, as well as construction of new sections on
the line leading from Singapore and passing through Kuala Lumpur,
Bangkok, and the Mekong basin.

At Kunming, the line would link up with China's state rail
network, eventually connecting to the Trans-Siberian Railroad.