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How about trains to China, Bulgaria?

 
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Aseem
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 4:55 am    Post subject: How about trains to China, Bulgaria? Reply with quote

HindustanTimes wrote:

How about trains to China, Bulgaria?

Some day you may be able to take a train from India to China in the east, and to Bulgaria in the west. And along the way, take in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand in the first case, or Pakistan, Iran and Turkey in the second.

On Thursday, the cabinet will decide on whether to sign the Inter-Governmental Agreement that envisages a continuous 80,900-km rail link — the Trans Asian Railway — through three corridors.

Although the principal idea is to encourage trade between South-east Asia, Central Asia and Europe, tourism too is likely to benefit.

India will be part of the Southern Corridor that starts in Kunming in China and covers 11,460 km before terminating in Kapikule in Bulgaria. The other two corridors link the Russian Federation to the Korean Peninsula (the Northern Corridor) and the Chinese border through Lao to Malaysia (the Indochina and Asian Sub-region Corridor).

The rail link will enter India at Tamu bordering Myanmar, pass through Bangladesh at Mahisasan and again enter India at Gede. It will exit India through Attari.

The agreement was adopted at the 62nd session of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in 2006. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were among the 10 countries which watched 18 others sign the agreement. The agreement has to be signed before next year.

The Trans Asian Railway was conceived in the 1960s to provide a 14,000-km rail link between Singapore and Istanbul, with possible onward connections to Europe and Africa. But the idea never went beyond the drawing board. The concept was revived and expanded to over 80,000 km in the early 1990s, with the UNESCAP playing the key role.


lets see what VABBy has to say about it.....fellow IRFCAian.
cheers!!
VT-ASJ
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C-GHKR
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 9:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Would'nt rail fare be more than air fare?
How many weeks would it take to reach Bulgaria Junction from Trivandrum Central?
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Aseem
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 9:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

first of all, it is more about creating a land link. Most of the traffic would be freight, and few extra-LD trains carrying people of fun. Moreover, I doubt there would be one train running from Sofia Jn to Kollam. You might have to switch couple of them in between.

Another thing to be noted, what percentage of population between Bulgaria and India can afford to fly Rolling Eyes
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ABN397
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Those familiar with the railways (particularly the irfcans) are familiar with these reports which come out every few months.
For more than 30 years I have been hearing that the Iranian railways will connect with the Pakistani terminus at Zahidan (just across the Iranian border). This hasn't happened yet.
Similarly we keep hearing about the Indian railways being connected to Myanmar and beyond. It is difficult enough to keep trains running on the existing network in Assam. Even connecting places like Imphal by rail may take several years, if it ever happens.
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Aseem
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

carrying forward from what you've quoted. This is going to remain on papers for years to come. The western part will never materialize so long there is unrest in Baluchistan and Iran is under world scanner.

As for the eastern sector, due to the terrain in north-eastern sector we cannot do without involving Bangladesh. On their part, they would like to use this opportunity to gain max leverage from India. This rail link is of no use to B'desh as they are not landlocked. As for Myanmar, their border areas are militant infested making it difficult to execute any project. Its different though that militancy is bound to suffer once rail road links are established. But then, the Generals are suspicious of any elevated interest by India. Currently, India is working on some road link from Mizoram to a minor port in Myanmar. And even before rail link is established, it would be better if we have decent road connectivity from NE to Mandalaya, and from there on to BKK or Vietnam/Cambodia. Routinely rail link follows road link. Had Myanmar been a democracy, things would have been vastly different.

rgds
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shivendrashukla
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ABN397 wrote:
T It is difficult enough to keep trains running on the existing network in Assam. Even connecting places like Imphal by rail may take several years, if it ever happens.


True NE has been very very slow in developing Rail infrastructure. But in this budget some interesting projects have been assigned to NE including Electrification (Much Needed) and bogibeel road cum rail bridge in Dibrugarh. Hope this actually completes around the scheduled date of 2010.

Cheers
Shivendra
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