Stretching from China through Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and finally to Europe, plans for a new Silk Road have been announced this week. With 74,700 kilometers of working track and serving 29 countries, the Trans-Asian Railway is set to be a lifeline to South East Asia.
The rail link will enter Thailand in the east and run near Pattaya. Both the business sector and tourist industry have been flagging significantly in South East Asia over the last few years, but the new rail link is expected to change all that.
“You can now set out from Thailand, do business in Laos, and arrive in time for dinner at Danang in Vietnam – all in the space of a single day,” Arjun Thapan, Director General of ADB South-East Asia was quoted by the Pattaya Daily News this week.
The Trans-Asian Railway will make trade between countries quick and easy and also dramatically cut the cost of business travel. The original Silk Road route encompassed China, India, Egypt, Persia, Arabia, and Rome.
But don’t get to excited yet; the Trans-Asian Railway is expected to take at least another ten years to complete. However, there are speculated to be millions of people working on this project all around the globe, so the project may yet be finished ahead of the deadline.
-TN
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