The Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) is one of the most representative initiatives established 50 years ago for boosting operational efficiency, economic relevance and commercial use of the railway transport infrastructure in Asia. In recognition of the fact that in the globalisation context national economies have become interdependent, the key objectives that have been the foundation of the Asian network development have mainly referred to promoting regional economic integration through intense international trade and tourism, to an improved territorial coverage of railway infrastructure and to providing quality services that would attract the stabilization of industry, as well as for supporting the continent’s production component by observing logistics efficiency demands.
Historically speaking, physical and non-physical hindrances have made the railway traffic of freight along the international borders within the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific(ESCAP) difficult to such extent that the Trans-Asian Railway has been an important step in identifying an integrated international network that would overcome these hindrances. The network includes over 80,000 km and crosses 27 countries of the ESCAP region. It is however necessary to mention that its main objectives consist in providing a connection between Asia and Europe, as well as improved access to ports in the Asian countries without sea access.
To illustrate the development potential of the Trans-Asian Railway as the backbone of container transport, ESCAP promoted, with the support of OSJD, a number of test transports in container block-trains along
different routes on the northern corridor of the network; this corridor links Europe and the Pacific via Germany, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, as well as Northern and Southern Korea.
The (Iron) Silk Road…
The importance of the Trans-Asian railway network was emphasized during the meetings of the United Nations, when on December 14 last year, ministers of transport and experts from Asia and the Pacific launched a series of reunions at the head office of the United Nations Organisations (UNO) in Bangkok to increase the regional integration by connecting national railway networks and by establishing key modal points that would connect the internal economic centres.
The first session of the Forum of Asian Ministers of Transport was held in the wake of the recent financial crisis which highlighted the countries’ need to approach regional integration and the ways of increasing regional and national demands as “new” sources of economic development, added UNO’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
“The time for this agreement to enter force denotes its strategic importance due to the fact that the leaders in the region promote intra-regional trade to stimulate economic growth. Railway transport, in particular, provides the opportunity of a cost-efficient freight transport”, declared Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary ESCAP.
Consequently, ESCAP will provide strategic assistance for the development of transport, transit and for improving transport capacity in the region and will also evaluate the economic, environmental and social impact of transports.
The reunions focused on the so-called “dry ports”, which are centres of international importance, most of them located within the territory and operating as coast-region ports. These “dry ports” will operate as hinterland distribution and consolidation centres. They will stimulate economic growth, thus bringing the benefits of economic and social development to a wider category of people.
“The agreement will finally enter force, more than 50 years after being launched by UNESCAP, declared Choi Jang-hyun, the Korean Vice Minister of Transport, Logistics and Maritime Affairs when the agreement was concluded.
At the same time, the Work Group for the Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) will review the progress made by the Intergovernmental Agreement on the TAR network, an agreement which came into force in June 2009 and includes a number of 114,000 km of international importance railway routes (106,000 of which already exist, the rest being under construction) and which aims at 6 providing efficient freight and passenger transport services in the region between Asia and Europe. During the reunions, the Group of Experts for Transport Infrastructure Financing focused on identifying, prioritising and mobilising financial resources for the development of transport infrastructures, railway infrastructure in particular. “Freight transport development is a priority of the 1520 area”, added Vladimir Yakunin, RZD President.
Consequently, following the conclusion of the Intergovernmental Agreement, in the near future, a train journey from Singapore to Shanghai or from Seoul to Samarkand, in Uzbekistan, will no longer be a dream but a reality.
Crucial in defining the network are the still in plan 8,300 km crossing Myanmar, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia and Laos, the construction works amounting to USD 25 Million (EUR 20 Million).
by Elena Ilie
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