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The recently held first conference of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand (BIMSTEC), UN-ESCAP and Asian Institute of Transport Development has recommended measures for increasing the connectivity of the various BIMSTEC railway networks, promote interoperability between these networks, develop solutions to issues arising at breaks of gauge, work together on the establishment and harmonization of procedures and standards, and upgrade the existing network to atleast minimum international standards with special emphasis on the transport of containers.
The meeting resolved that Trans Asian Railways (TAR) network formed a rational basis for the BIMSTEC railway network. It also noted that nodes and links could be added to the basic TAR network to form a ‘missing links’ between Thailand and Myanmar, and Myanmar and India. The representatives from Myanmar pointed out on Myanmar-India rail routes the link upto Kalay would be ready by the end of 2005, thereby leaving a missing link of 135 kilometres upto the border of India (Tamu) for which techno-economic survey would be undertaken soon. Similarly, on Thailand-Myanmar route, a new 164 kilometre railway line from Ye to Dawei has been built. Thailand is expanding its network to the neighbouring countries—Myanmar, Laos PDR and Combodia.
The meeting noted that United Nations Economic and Social Council for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) would be convening an Expert Group Meeting to consider the first draft of an Intergovernmental Agreement on the TAR network. During the meeting, participants would have opportunity to contribute to the formalization of TAR routes. They would also consider ways and means to determine and harmonize technical standards for the railway network of the entire Asian region. It is anticipated that the Agreement would be signed at the Ministerial Conference on Infrastructure scheduled for 2006.
The meeting recognized the important work of UN-ESCAP in providing a regional perspective of land transport and promoting it through the Asian Land Transport Infrastructure Development (ALTID) projects, comprising the Asian Highway, Trans-Asian Railways and cross border facilitation. In this connection, the participants recalled the New Delhi Declaration of 1996 on Infrastructure Development in Asia and the Pacific, as well as the Seoul Declaration of 2001 both of which provided strong support to the ALTID project at the Ministerial level.
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