Pan-Asian Railway closer to realisation

Important milestone: The construction of the Boten-Vientiane railway, which will open next month, started in 2016. — Xinhua

After 18 countries signed the Trans-Asian Railway Network Agreement in June 2006, the Kunming-Vientiane rail journey will be possible next month, which makes analysts wonder whether Malaysia is up to speed compared with its neighbours when it comes to rail network development.

ON Dec 3, the 414km Boten-Vientiane railway (more commonly referred to as the China-Laos railway) will open for cargo service, marking an important milestone in the Pan-Asian Rail network, which is part of the grander Trans-Asian Rail network envisioned in the 1950s.

The realisation of this Kunming-Vientiane stretch indicates that the proposal to link Kunming with Singapore using rail – via Vientiane, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur – remains very much alive. Touted as landlocked Laos’ most expensive project, the Boten-Vientiane stretch, which is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative push, will be connected to China’s Yuxi-Mohan stretch (504km), which is also slated to open on Dec 3 to allow for cross border services between the two countries.