Kazakhstan to start building rail link between Southeast Asia and Europe
Published:
30 December 2004 y., Thursday
Kazakhstan will start building a railway link next year connecting Southeast Asia with the European Union, Transport Minister Kazhymurat Nagmanov said Wednesday.
The 3,000-kilometre link is estimated to cost $3.5 billion to $4 billion US and is to be completed within 15 years. It will connect China via Kazakhstan with Turkmenistan and Turkey.
The link is designed to be an alternative to the Trans-Siberia railway in Russia's Far East, which also connects Asia with Europe, as well as to ocean shipments. Kazakhstan and Russia foresee that freight transit between Europe and Asia will be very lucrative.
Once built, the Kazakh link will have an advantage over the Russian alternative: the Kazakh railroad will be of international standard, while the Russian railway is 12.7 centimetres wider, designed to slow an enemy during the world wars of the 20th century. This results in delays at borders since trains need to have their wheels changed.
Nagmanov said transit from Southeast Asia to Europe via Kazakhstan will take 10 days. The flow of cargo is planned to reach 35 million to 40 million tons a year by 2010, and ultimately 100 million tons.
Šaltinis:
story.news.yahoo.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
A record 131 economies around the globe reformed business regulation in 2008/09, according to the IFC–World Bank Doing Business 2010 report.
more »
The World Bank’s Board of Directors today approved a US$5 million grant to improve the quality of electricity services in Haiti and strengthen the financial and operational performance of Electricité d’Haïti, the public electricity utility.
more »
Firuza Ziyoeva, a 42-year old mother of five, lacks any sustainable income for her family – her husband is unable to work due to disabilities and their children are all young.
more »
The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, made the following statement today regarding Singapore’s commitment to increase fourfold its contribution to the Fund’s New Arrangements to Borrow (NAB) by US$1.5 billion, to a total of US$2 billion.
more »
Statistics Lithuania reports that, based on non-final data obtained from customs declarations and Intrastat reporting data, exports in I half-year 2009 made LTL 19 billion, while imports – LTL 21.2 billion.
more »
Since 7 September 2009 AB Bank SNORAS for residents and economy subjects begins to distribute a new savings product - certificates of deposits.
more »
“We are 53 diverse countries differently affected by the crisis, 1 billion people that cannot be ignored”. That was the stark message to Members of Parliament's Development Committee from Donald Kaberuka, the head of Africa's Development Bank at a hearing on 3 September in Brussels.
more »
The European Investment Bank has granted a EUR 450 million loan to AENA (Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea) for upgrading and expanding Spain’s air traffic control facilities in order to optimise their overall efficiency and ensure that they comply with international regulations.
more »
Statistics Lithuania informs that in August 2009, against July, prices for total industrial production sold increased by 0.9 per cent.
more »
Despite signs the near two-year U.S. recession may be over - Americans are still finding it hard to get a job.
more »