China-ASEAN rail network advances
China started operations on February 23 on the 141-kilometer Yuxi-Mengzi railway line, part of the Pan-Asia railway network that will connect China to ASEAN countries.
The new railway line spans from Yuxi, south of Kunming, capital of China’s southern Yunnan province, to Mengzi on the route to the Vietnamese border, and is mainly intended for freight transport with a maximum speed of 120 km/h. The new line replaces the 100-year-old, 854-kilometer Kunming-Haiphone line, which had a speed of just 30km/h.
The track will eventually connect Kunming with Hanoi and then Ho Chi Minh City and lead to Phnom Penh and Bangkok and then join an alternative route of the railway network that leads from China through Laos, Thailand and Malaysia to Singapore.
Another track is planned to connect Bangkok with Yangon and Mandalay in Myanmar and lead back to Kunming.
The 421-kilometer track from Kunming to Vientiane in Laos is currently under construction. The whole Pan-Asia railway network is expected to be completed in 2020.
[caption id="attachment_7230" align="alignleft" width="193"] The planned Pan-Asia railway network. (Click to enlarge)[/caption] China started operations on February 23 on the 141-kilometer Yuxi-Mengzi railway line, part of the Pan-Asia railway network that will connect China to ASEAN countries. The new railway line spans from Yuxi, south of Kunming, capital of China's southern Yunnan province, to Mengzi on the route to the Vietnamese border, and is mainly intended for freight transport with a maximum speed of 120 km/h. The new line replaces the 100-year-old, 854-kilometer Kunming-Haiphone line, which had a speed of just 30km/h. The track will eventually connect Kunming with Hanoi...
China started operations on February 23 on the 141-kilometer Yuxi-Mengzi railway line, part of the Pan-Asia railway network that will connect China to ASEAN countries.
The new railway line spans from Yuxi, south of Kunming, capital of China’s southern Yunnan province, to Mengzi on the route to the Vietnamese border, and is mainly intended for freight transport with a maximum speed of 120 km/h. The new line replaces the 100-year-old, 854-kilometer Kunming-Haiphone line, which had a speed of just 30km/h.
The track will eventually connect Kunming with Hanoi and then Ho Chi Minh City and lead to Phnom Penh and Bangkok and then join an alternative route of the railway network that leads from China through Laos, Thailand and Malaysia to Singapore.
Another track is planned to connect Bangkok with Yangon and Mandalay in Myanmar and lead back to Kunming.
The 421-kilometer track from Kunming to Vientiane in Laos is currently under construction. The whole Pan-Asia railway network is expected to be completed in 2020.
Agreed. It is a great opportunity for the region, definitely will see some growth in the ASEAN countries.
This railway is a step towards the improving ease of access and trade in continental Southeast Asia. The cheaper and faster train travel will not only compete with existing railway companies, but also be competitive with budget airlines, which before this was the fastest and cheapest way to travel.