MYANMAR would need to spend about US$200 million to build a spur line which would form part of a proposed railway linking Singapore and Kunming in China, it was revealed last week.
The 70-mile spur line would link Thanbyuzayat, about 220-miles southeast of Yangon, to Three Pagodas Pass on the border with Thailand. It would be connected to a line yet to be built in Thailand, which would join the existing line linking Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
The cost estimate was given to Myanmar Times by U Hla Yee, the general manager (technical and administrative support) at Myanma Railways. Myanmar could fund its section of the spur line from its own resources but it would be built faster if international aid was provided for the project, U Hla Yee said. The spur line would be connected to the national rail network once a railway bridge was built across the Thanlwin River between Mawlamyine and Mottama, he said.
U Hla Yee was speaking after the third meeting of a special working group on the Singapore-Kunming railway project, held last week at the Sedona Hotel. Myanmar chairs the special working group, which is considering the infrastructure needed to build the railway. Asean agreed at its summit in Brunei last November that the railway would follow a 3344 mile (5382 kilometre) route linking Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Kunming. Completing the line would require building sections linking Poipet and Sisophon in Cambodia, as well as Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City. A proposed spur line on the route would link the northern Vietnam city of Ha Tinh with the Laotian capital, Vientiane.
The total cost of building the 620 miles (1000 kilometres) of missing links, including the spur lines between Thailand and Myanmar and between Vietnam and Laos, has been estimated at $2.5 million. U Hla Yee said last week’s meeting had agreed to give priority to completing the 30 mile (48 kilometre) section between Poipet and Sisophon, which Thailand has agreed to build at an estimated cost of $55 million.
Other funding would be sought from Asean’s dialogue partners, such as China, Japan and South Korea, as well as from the Asian Development Bank. About $50 million in ADB grants would go towards railways projects in Cambodia and Vietnam as part of a program to develop the Mekong Basin region, U Hla Yee said. He said the private sector would also be invited to participate in the project through joint venture or consortium arrangements. The Singapore-Kunming railway was proposed at the Asean summit held in Bangkok in December 1995. The project is the centerpiece of the Asean Mekong Basin Development Cooperation program.
Press Meet of Third Special Working Group Meeting on Singapore-Kunming Rail Link held
New Light of Myanma - Thursday 16 May 2002
Yangon, 15 May - The Press Meet of the Third Special Working Group Meeting on the Singapore Kunming Rail Link (SKRL) between delegation leaders and officials of the ASEAN Secretariat and journalists was held at Sedona Hotel on Kaba Aye Pagoda Road at 9.45 am today.
First, Deputy Minister for Rail Transportation Thura U Thaung Lwin explained matters related to the Press meet. Then, delegation leaders and official of the ASEAN Secretariat made introductory speeches. Then, Deputy Minister Thura U Thaung Lwin, delegation leaders and the official of the ASEAN Secretariat answered the queries raised by NTV correspondent U Aung Shwe Oo, correspondent U Hla Htwe of Nihon Keizai Shimbun daily, Director (News) U Hla Tun of News and Periodicals Enterprise and correspondent U Nyunt Tin of Fuji Television. In answering the question raised by U Aung Shwe Oo, Thura U Thaung Lwin said: KL
Consult was given the job for feasibility study funded by the Malaysian Government which contributed 2 million ringgits for this project. The feasibility study concentrates on six routes. Route-1 starting from Singapore which will pass through Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and then to China. Route-2, the common route is from Singapore passing through Malaysia and Thailand and passes through Myanmar from Three-Pagoda-Pass and then proceeds to China. Route 3, 5 and 6 are to connect Kunming of China from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The recommended route which passes Myanmar is proposed at the ASEAN Summit.
It is Route-1 as well as part of Route-2 which includes Mawlamyine, Thanbyuzayat, Three Pagoda Pass and Namtok. Myanmar's involvement is from Mawlamyine to Three Pagoda Pass which is 200 km. From Mawlamyine to Thanbyuzayat is about 90 km which will be rehabilitated. From Thanbyuzayat to Three Pagoda Pass is about 110 km which will be a new construction. Regarding Thanbyuzayat to Three Pagoda Pass section we are waiting for external funding. Feasibility study conducted by KL Consult focuses on economic, technical and financial feasibility. It also includes other aspects of environmental and socio-economic impact too. In replying to queries by U Hla Htwe, Thura U Thaung Lwin said: I would like to explain about railroad gauge. At present, from Singapore passing through Malaysia and Thailand existing line is metre gauge and Vietnam also. So there are some standard gauge.
From the China-Vietnamese border to Kunming, there also exists metre gauge. So, Singapore-Kunming rail link will be metre gauge line. We are considering the construction of metre gauge line to link the existing metre gauge rail track. The recommended Route-1 is 5,382 km long. And there are 431 km of missing links. Its spur line will be 585 km which is to be newly constructed too. The cost for construction is estimated to be 2.5 billion US$. It was estimated in 1997. Concerning the implementation we have already had tentative time frame.
The time frame to finish the project is set for 2004 and for conducting full feasibility study in detailed design for other missing sections in those requiring new construction, the time frame for full feasibility study is 2003 to 2005. In securing funding assistance, it's time frame is from 2005 to 2007. To commence the construction, the time frame starts from 2008-2009. The completion time will depend on availability of funding, So, all the countries concerned as well as dialogue partners and international agencies are requested to cooperate to help for needed funding. At this moment, Laos has received some proposals for BOOT (Build, Own, Operate and Transfer) system. In replying to question by U Nyunt Tin, the official from ASEAN Secretariat said: there will be possibility that ADB will participate in this project in the context of implementing the Poipet-Sisophon rail link project.
At the moment, the ADB has provided some kind of technical assistance to Cambodia in preparing transport strategy project. In this meeting, the ADB representative has indicated that they will provide assistance to Vietnam. The ADB as well as China, Japan and Korea will provide assistance to implementation of this project. The Press Meet came to an end at 10 am.
Press Release The Third Special Working Group Meeting on Singapore-Kunming Rail Link (14-15 May 2002, Yangon, Myanmar)
1. The Singapore-Kunming Rail Link (SKRL) was proposed at the Fifth ASEAN Summit in Bangkok in December 1995, with Malaysia as the project coordinator. The SKRL Project is the core of the ASEAN Mekong Basin Development Cooperation (AMBDC) programme. At the Second ASEAN Informal Summit in Kuala Lumpur in December 1997, the ASEAN leaders agreed that the proposed rail link should be implemented on a consortium basis involving all ASEAN countries and that a decision be made about its implementation. The leaders also agreed that non-ASEAN countries such as the United States, Japan and the European countries would be invited to participate in its construction. The 1998 Hanoi Plan of Action again underscored the importance of the SKRL Project.
2. In line with the Fifth ASEAN Summit Meeting in Bangkok in 1995, the Special Working Group on SKRL was established on June 17, 1996, given the task of examining the feasibility of the link in terms of technical, financial and economic point of views.
3. A team of Malaysian consultants was engaged to undertake the feasibility study and the consultants commenced the study for the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link in March 1997 and completed in August, 1999. The study examined six routes to link Singapore with Kunming. All the six routes have a common sector from Singapore to Bangkok via Kuala Lumpur. The consultants recommended Route 1 which involves Cambodia, Vietnam and Lao PDR. The consultants also recommended the development of part of Route 2 that would integrate Myanmar into the regional network. This overall route configuration covers seven ASEAN member countries and China.
4. Malaysia assumed the chairmanship of the first and the second Special Working Group Meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in December 1996 and September 1997 respectively. In line with the Third AMBDC Ministerial Meeting held in Chaing Rai, Thailand, Myanmar assumes chairmanship of the Special Working Group on SKRL for the year 2002. The Third Special Working Group Meeting on SKRL was held in Yangon, Myanmar on May 14-15, 2002.
5. The meeting was attended by delegates from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Representatives from China, Japan, Republic of Korea, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and KL Consult also attended the Meeting. Staff members of the ASEAN secretariat were also present. The Third Special Working Group Meeting was formally opened with the welcoming address by HE U Pan Aung, Minister, Ministry of Rail Transportation and Chairman of the SKRL Special Working Group on May 14 at 9 am in Yangon, Myanmar. The Meeting was held in plenary and was chaired by HE Thura U Thaung Lwin, Deputy Minister on behalf of HE U Pan Aung, Minister for Rail Transportation.
6. The ASEAN Secretariat briefed on the related decisions and follow-up actions arising from the ASEAN Summit Meetings, the Third AMBDC Meeting and the ASEAN Transport Minister's Meetings. The ASEAN member countries also briefed the Meeting on the follow-up actions and measures they have undertaken or undertaking in the implementation and/or fund mobilization for their rail sections to include the missing links, spur lines etc. of the approved SKRL route network. The ADB, China, Japan, Korea also briefed on their views and positions on the SKRL Project implementation.
7. The Meeting exchanged views on the possible concrete plans, modalities and measures to hasten the implementation of the SKRL Project, and agreed on the following.
(a). Member Countries concerned shall incorporate the missing links and spur lines of the endorsed SKRL route configuration in their respective National Development Plans.
(b). Priority shall be given to the immediate implementation of the 48 km Poipet-Sisophon missing section, with possible technical assistance from ADB and from ASEAN countries (eg, Malaysia);
(c). Mobilize technical assistance grants and/or funding support from ASEAN dialogue partners such as China, Japan, Korea, etc. and from ADB and other international aid agencies;
(d).Urge interested ASEAN private sector to initiate project development and construction through jointventure or consortium arrangements or through BOT/BT/BOOT arrangements;
(e). Encourage bilateral/sub-regional approach to project implementation and fund mobilization;
(f). Welcome various form of grants or in kind contribution from the interested ASEAN countries; and
(g). Explore viable project financing arrangements from established railway operating organizations/companies.
8. The meeting was successfully concluded.
Third SWG meeting on SKRL concludes
Yangon, 15 May - The third meeting on Singapore-Kunming Rail Link Special Working Group continued for the second day at Sedona Hotel in Kaba Aye Pagoda Road here at 8.30 am today and it successfully concluded at 9.15 am.
Present on the occasion were Deputy Minister for Rail Transportation Thura U Thaung Lwin, representatives from Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, China and Japan, Korea and officials from the ASEAN Secretariat and Asian Development Bank. At the meeting, on behalf of Chairman of SKRLSWG (2002) Minister for Rail Transportation U Pan Aung, Deputy Minister Thura U Thaung Lwin presided over the meeting. At the meeting, matters related to construction of Singapore-Kunming Rail Link, the press release and resolutions and records of the meeting were approved.
Then, Deputy Minister Thura U Thaung Lwin made a concluding speech. He said all items on the agenda of the third meeting on Singapore-Kunming Rail Link Special Working Group had been discussed and he would like to announce that the meeting came to the conclusion successfully. He also thanked all delegates and the ASEAN Secretariat who helped in everything for the success of the meeting. He wished the delegates a bon voyage on their way back.
He also said he hoped to meet all delegates again at the next meeting. Representatives, together with Chairman of the committee for holding the meeting Director-General U Kyaw San of Transport Planning Department, Chairman of the committee for welcoming and accommodation Director-General U Hla Thaung Myint of Road Transport Administration Department and Secretary U Aung Myint of the committee, visited the Shwedagon Pagoda in the morning and the National Museum in the afternoon
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