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Jakarta –
Imagine you board a train in southwest China traveling 3,218 km and arriving in Singapore. The journey is less than 30 hours.
In the news CNN, Tuesday (2/4/2024), that is the scenario envisioned by China for Southeast Asia as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It is a broad overseas infrastructure development program launched more than a decade ago.
In 2021, the semi-high-speed Laos-China Railway opened to passengers. Connecting southwest China’s commercial hub Kunming to Laos’ capital Vientiane, the journey is about 10 hours.
The route stretches some 1,000 kilometers which officials say has increased the number of Chinese travelers by land and greatly benefited local traders and businesses in the small landlocked country.
Also with China’s help, Southeast Asia’s first bullet train began operating in Indonesia in October 2023 after years of setbacks and delays, connecting the capital Jakarta with Bandung in West Java, one of Indonesia’s largest cities and a center for arts and crafts. culture.
Meanwhile, a second high-speed rail project is underway in Thailand, aiming to connect the Laos-China Railway with Bangkok. But it now faces delays and rising construction costs.
Launched in stages, the Thai government currently hopes the line will be fully operational by 2028. The Chinese government has not detailed a timetable.
Whoosh Fast Train (Photo: PT KCIC Doc)
The project, seen by some analysts as a ‘fiscal trap’, has been a source of heated debate and scrutiny in Thailand. Because the government agreed to cover all construction costs of 179 billion baht for the first development phase, reported.
The Chinese side will be responsible for installing the system, design and procurement of the trains.
And when the line is complete, plans are to extend it to northern Malaysia, where it will connect to the capital Kuala Lumpur before ultimately ending 350 kilometers south in Singapore.
In January, bids from local and international consortia were submitted for this lucrative project. But Japanese companies, including East Japan Railway Co, reportedly withdrew after deciding that the project would be too risky without official financial support from the Malaysian government.
“China already has the world’s largest high-speed rail network and companies there have long wanted to sell and export their infrastructure technology to other countries,” said travel and consumer trends analyst Gary Bowerman, founder of Check-in Asia, a research and marketing company focused on tourism.
“Southeast Asia was an obvious choice because of its proximity to China,” Bowerman added.
“Connecting mainland cities by train directly to Laos and other Southeast Asian countries will make it easier and profitable for Chinese travelers, because many of them do not want to travel long distances, for long periods of time,” he explained .
Watch the Video “China Launches the Fastest Train in the World”
(msl/fem)
