No Progress In Developing Railway Link To Bhutan, Says Bhutan PM

From M. Saraswathi THIMPHU (Bhutan), May 29 (Bernama) -- Bhutan has not made much progress in developing a railway system although such links are very important for the landlocked country, says Bhutan Prime Minister Jigmi Y. Thinley. He said it has been extremely difficult to make any progress on that front as the areas the railway could be built are either heavily populated or are key agriculture land. "The areas through which rail roads can be built are heavily populated or these are very valuable tea plantations. So, it has been extremely difficult, we have not had any success in setting up a railway system," he told Bernama. Thinley said this when asked on the progress in the Trans Asian Railway Project initiated by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific which included Bhutan. He said it was for the similar reason why the railway connection has been difficult with India although there had been plans for it. The Trans-Asian Railway was initiated in the 1960s with the objective of providing a continuous 14,000KM rail link between Singapore and Istanbul, with possible onward connections to Europe and Africa. The "Iron Silk Road" offered the potential to greatly shorten the distance and reduce transit times between countries and regions, while serving as a catalyst for the notion of international transport as a tool for trade expansion, economic growth and cultural exchanges. -- BERNAMA