TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
Maqsood Ahmad Khan Pakistan Railways
Presentation to the Participants of 109th Course at PIRRTC, Walton, Lahore
World map of railway
WORLD MAP OF RAILWAY
OBJECTIVES OF THE TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY The Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) was initiated in the 1960s
OBJECTIVES•Provide a continuous 14,000-km rail link between Singapore and Istanbul (Turkey), •Onward connections to Europe and Africa. •Shorten the distances and reduce transit times between countries and regions,•Catalyst for the notion of international transport as a tool for trade expansion•Economic growth and cultural exchanges
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
ESCAP adopted a step-by-step approach to define the TAR Network due to following factors • The extent of the territory covered• The differences in standards• The differences in the levels of technical
development between railways in the region
TAR divided into following four major components
Northern Corridor: China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Russian Federation and the Korean Peninsula
Southern Corridor: Thailand, and the Southern Chinese Province of Yunnan to Turkey through Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran; Sri Lanka also part of this Corridor
ASEAN and Indochina: Sub Region of ASEAN and Indo-China
North South Corridor: Northern Europe to the Persian Gulf through the Russian Federation, Central Asia and the Caucasus Region
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
TRANS-ASIAN NETWORK(Latest)
• International importance of the link• Conformity with a set of technical requirements• Gauges - Axle-load -Speed• Compatibility of operational practices e.g. couplers, length
of trains• Software aspects of transport • Tariff-related issues• Institutional framework pertaining to the passage of goods
across borders• Break-of-gauge points - possible solutions • Missing links
Methodology and Principles AdoptedTRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
• Landlocked Countries • Economic Justification• Reliance on ports to connect national economies
to the world’s markets • Exporters of mineral resources • The continuing surge in the volumes of goods
being exchanged, and • Rail as an environmentally friendly and safe
mode of transport
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAYFEATURES IN FAVOR OF UTILIZATION OF RAIL TRANSPORT IN ASIA
South-East Asia:Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam
12,600 km
North-East Asia: China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation
32,500 km
Central Asia and Caucasus:
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
13,200 km
South Asia + Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey:
Bangladesh, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey
22,600 km
Total: 80,900 km
FACTS AND FIGURES – ROUTS COVERED
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
ASEAN AND INDOCHINA
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
NORTHERN CORRIDOR
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAYNORTH – SOUTH CORRIDOR
SOUTHERN CORRIDORTRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
TAR - BREAK-OF-GAUGE POINTS
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
China (1,435 mm) and Viet Nam (1,000 mm)
China (1,435 mm) and the Russian Federation (1,520 mm)
China (1,435 mm) and Mongolia (1,520 mm)
China (1,435 mm) and Kazakhstan (1,520 mm) Democratic People's Republic of Korea (1,435 mm) and the Russian Federation (1,520 mm)
Islamic Republic of Iran (1,435 mm) and Turkmenistan (1,520 mm)
Islamic Republic of Iran (1,435 mm) and Azerbaijan (1,520 mm)
Turkey (1,435 mm) and Armenia (1,520 mm)
Transhipment: transfer of freight by manual or mechanical means
Bogie changing: wagons are lifted on a set of jacks and bogies are inter rolled
Use of wagons with ‘variable-gauge’ bogies: Distance between bogies is reduced along a special transition track at reduced speed
Provision of Dual Gauge: two different track gauges on a single track foundation through the insertion of a third/fourth rail
Conversion of Tracks: of different gauges to a single gauge standard
OVERCOMING THE BREAK-OF-GAUGETRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
TRANSHIPMENT
TRANSHIPMENT
PAKISTAN RAILWAYS
AS PART OF TAR
PAKISTAN RAILWAYS AS PART OF TAR
Port
PortPortChahbahar
Bandar Abbas
Border Crossing Points Legend
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAYPAKISTAN AS TRANSIT COUNTRY
INDIALinkage Points Wagah - Tharparker Gauge Same ( Broad Gauge 5’ – 6”) – No
Transshipment Agreement Agreement Relating to Rail
Communication between India and PakistanPassenger Trains Interchanged at both the points Freight Trains Interchanged at Wagah onlyWagons Interchange The number of freight wagons is
equalized within every ten days
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAYPAKISTAN RAILWAYS AS TRANSIT RAIL
Passenger Train Rakes: Alternatively for six months by both the railways.
Major Goods Interchanged: Salt and Dry Dates from Pakistan - Poultry Feed from India. ConstraintsIntermittent Disruption of Rail Traffic
Passenger Service Freight Service Reason for DisruptionFrom To From To19-8-2006 17-2-2007
No Freight TrafficReportedly damage to track due to heavy rains
Passenger Service Freight Service Reason for DisruptionFrom To From To6-9-1965 21-7-1976 6-9-1965 2-9-1976 September 1965 War29-9-1994 6-11-1994 1-10-1994 6-11-1994 Plague in India1-1-2002 22-12-2001 By Indian Government
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAYINDIA
Wagah
Tharparker
IRANGauge Braod Gauge upto Zahidan, inside Iran (about
100 kilometers) from Quetta via Taftan, without break of gauge.
Rail Operation The passenger and freight trains run through upto Zahidan
Agreement Memorandum of Agreement
Sulphur and Bitumen from Iran Rice from Pakistan. Fortnightly
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
Freight TrafficPassenger Trains
IRAN
Constraints• Condition of The track between Quetta and Zahidan• Revision of Agreement• Detention to Freight Wagons and Locomotives at
Zahidan
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
IRAN
Constraints• Condition of The track between Quetta and Zahidan• Revision of Agreement• Detention to Freight Wagons and Locomotives at
Zahidan
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
IRANConstraints• Condition of The track between Quetta and Zahidan• Revision of Agreement• Detention to Freight Wagons and Locomotives at
Zahidan• Zahidan – Kerman – Gap, filled
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
AFGHANISTAN
• Afghanistan is a land locked country and has access to Karachi Port through Pakistan Railway,
• A Protocol between the two countries• Goods in Transit to Afghanistan (GITA) are transported from Karachi Port
to Peshawar and Chaman by Rail wherefrom to Afghanistan by Road
Constraints Political Conditions
TRANS ASIAN RAILWAY
TAR AGREEMENT
CONCLUSIONIn view of the constraints discussed above, it can be concluded, that the political instability in Afghanistan and intermittent disruption of communication between India - Pakistan, are the major issues and impediments in the way of smooth and through rail communication in the region. Without attending to these issues the trade amongst and beyond these countries by rail at a larger scale is not possible. Therefore, optimum use of economies of scale and of natural resources available in and around these countries (ECO / SAARC) is also impeded.
TRANS - ARAB RAILWAYS
ARAB RAILWAYS
Map of Africa (Railways) 1933
CAPE – CAIRO RAILWAY
VIETNAM RAILWAY
THAILAND RAILWAY
CAMBODIA RAILWAY
CAMBODIA RAILWAY
MOROCCO RAILWAY
EGYPT RAILWAY