Asia’s transport ministers met in Bangkok on December 14 to discuss the feasibility of linking up their national rail networks to form an international regional system.
Also discussed at the forum were measures to build major railway stations to connect the region's key economic hubs, turning them into “dry ports” to store and distribute freight on a global scale.
The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) said that it is essential to connect regional railway networks together, along with increasing national and regional demands, to boost growth after the global economic meltdown.
A taskforce set up to examine a Trans-Asian Railway system (TAR) will consider implementing an inter-Governmental agreement on this which came into force in June. The move will connect up 114,000 km of rail across 28 Asian and European countries.
The taskforce will also look at ways of effectively transporting freight and passengers in the region as well as between Asia and Europe.
TAR is the second agreement to be sponsored by UNESCAP with the first one on Asia’s road network coming into force in 2005./.
Also discussed at the forum were measures to build major railway stations to connect the region's key economic hubs, turning them into “dry ports” to store and distribute freight on a global scale.
The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) said that it is essential to connect regional railway networks together, along with increasing national and regional demands, to boost growth after the global economic meltdown.
A taskforce set up to examine a Trans-Asian Railway system (TAR) will consider implementing an inter-Governmental agreement on this which came into force in June. The move will connect up 114,000 km of rail across 28 Asian and European countries.
The taskforce will also look at ways of effectively transporting freight and passengers in the region as well as between Asia and Europe.
TAR is the second agreement to be sponsored by UNESCAP with the first one on Asia’s road network coming into force in 2005./.
