Trans Asian Railway to link India-Burma

There were several "missing links" or gaps in the proposed railway alignment worked out jointly by different countries in South and South East Asia. The major reason for the absence of links was the problem in covering hilly terrain or marshes, while alternate road communication was easier.

Now broad guidelines have been worked out to ensure "seamless" or smooth movement among the countries of the region, but crucial to the concept would be filling the missing links.

While the total proposed investment is yet to be worked out, India and Burma have agreed on a rail link between Jiribam and Tamu, which would go a long way to fill a long prevailing logistical gap.

The cost of the proposed linkage would be around Rs 2741 crore, according to spokesmen of the RITES agency of the Indian Railways, the modal expert group that critically evaluates all major new development projects. This includes the cost of linking Imphal in Manipur to Tupul, a distance of 97 kilometres.

Transport and communication between India and Burma will increase manifold once the new rail link and other joint economic projects such as power generation, construction of ports and waterways, is under way.

Burma's Tamu border town is fast emerging as a major economic centre, as economic interaction is poised to grow substantially according to provisions of the new BIMST-EC grouping for the region.