The chief executive officers attending the 42nd Asean Railways CEOs Conference which opened on Aug 23 in Danang, Vietnam. - VNA/VNS
VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/Asia News Network): The Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Asean railways outlined a transnational rail link plan when they convened for a meeting this week in Vietnam, local media reported.
The 42nd Asean Railway CEOs’ Conference, with the theme ‘Recovery and Development’, opened in Vietnam’s central city of Danang on Aug 23.
Some 170 delegates and observers from the industry in eight Asean countries - Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam - are participating in the three-day event.
Addressing the conference, Vietnam Railways Corporation (VNR) General Director Dang Sy Manh said the development of rail freight services is a long-term orientation of Vietnam’s railway industry, the Vietnam News reported.
This will promote trade and socio-economic development among countries in the region and across the world, he added.
Mạnh said the corporation has been tasked with finalising solutions for the implementation of the railway development plan for 2021-30, with a vision to 2050, aiming to effectively exploit existing railway lines and connect with international ones.
Priority will be given to building new rail lines that link with international gateway ports, especially in the northern coastal city of Hai Phong and southeastern provinces, as well as with those of Laos and Cambodia, the report added.
In Laos, the Laos-China Railway connecting the Lao capital Vientiane with China’s southwest province of Yunnan, which has been in operation since December 3, 2021, links Laos with the China-Europe rail network.
The standard-gauge Laos-China Railway, which is part of the Belt and Road Initiative, is linked to the one-metre gauge Laos-Thailand Railway in Vientiane.
Laos also plans to build a railway connecting Vientiane with the Vung Ang seaport in Vietnam’s central Ha Tinh province.
Thailand and Malaysia are working together to build a high-speed rail network that will connect four Asean countries - Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore - with China.
Asean groups Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Asean Railway CEOs meet annually to review cooperation and discuss future plans.
The conference is hosted in rotation by rail operators in Asean countries. It offers an opportunity for international organisations, regional and the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of railway equipment to seek cooperation opportunities and represent the latest technologies in the field.
