Regional railway reaffirmed

Regional railway reaffirmed

Agence France-Presse, Bandar Seri Begawan

Southeast Asian leaders gave the go-ahead signal Monday to a proposed multi-billion dollar railway project that will link the region with China.

The US$2.5 billion project forms part of an effort by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to firm up so called economic linkages in the region, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah told a news conference after an annual ASEAN summit here.

"We reaffirmed the Singapore-Kunming rail link as a priority project, and endorsed the routes agreed by our ministers," he said.

The 5,500-kilometer railway stretching from Singapore to Kunming in southern China is seen an offering ASEAN's less developed members -- namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam -- an opportunity to achieve economic prosperity.

But the project has not taken off due to funding difficulties.

It had been suggested that the railway be built in stages instead with priority given to the areas considered as the missing links along the stretch between Thailand and Cambodia and between Cambodia and Vietnam.

Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said Malaysia had indicated interest to a Thai rail project linking the mega line.