(James Clark's article from The LIVING IN
ASIA on 21 April 2020.)
The
corridor was envisaged as a land bridge connecting the Indian and Pacific
Oceans, saving the sea route via the Malacca Strait. The road route connects the
port cities of Mawlamyine in the west, to Da Nang in the east.
The EWEC also calls for the development of a railway that would connect the two ports. The railway would then serve cargo and passenger trains. Work on the EWEC has focused on improving highways, building new bridges, and streamlining cross-border transport agreements. Unfortunately, not a single kilometre of new railway has been added.
If the
railways are built it will transform cargo and passenger transport in the
Greater Mekong Subregion. Here is the status of the railways of the four
countries that the railway passes through.
Myanmar
Mawlamyine
is the the first (or last) station of the East-West Economic Corridor. The
route from Mawlamyine to Myawaddy on the Thai border is about 120 km. Moulmein
(as Mawlamyine was then known) was the first capital of British Burma between
1826 and 1852.
It was
an important river port in colonial times, with timber being the major export.
There were sea connections to Penang, Singapore, Calcutta, Bombay, and London. The
current port at Mawlamyine is not suitable for large container ships, so there
is a proposed new deep-sea port at Kalagauk Island, about 130 km south of
Mawlamyine.
For
businesses in Thailand shipping cargo to the west, they could send containers
here instead of Bangkok, saving the journey around the Malay Peninsula.
Mawlamyine as a port has competition from the proposed Dawei port and Special
Economic Zone, which is closer to Bangkok.
There
are currently no railways connecting Myanmar to Thailand, which is one of the
many missing links of Southeast Asia railways. With the new railway connecting
to the existing railway at Mawlamyine, passengers could then travel from
Bangkok to Yangon by train
Thailand
The
Thailand section forms the bulk of the line, traversing an 800km-long route
from Maesot to Mukdahan. Even if Myanmar and Laos don’t build their section for
years, this line would still be of great benefit to Thailand if they went ahead
with it. There is no east-west rail in North, Central, and Eastern (Isan)
Thailand. A railway across Thailand would go a long way towards decentralising
Bangkok-centric Thailand.
The
railway would cross paths with the northern line at Phitsanulok, and the
Northeastern Line at Khon Kaen. The new line could turn these cities into
regional hubs. Both cities are already planning city transit systems, with a
light rail under construction in Khon Kaen, and a tramway planned for
Phitsanulok.
There
have been numerous announcements over the years about the plans to start this
project. There has been interest from the Korea Rail Network Authority, and
Japan has proposed a high-speed railway on the line. Since the initial plan was
released, Thailand has proposed that the route be diverted south of Phitansulok
to Nakhon Sawan instead.
Thailand
is currently building a high-speed railway from Bangkok to Nong Khai on the
Laos border. There is also a plan for a high-speed train to Chiang Mai and the
3-airport high-speed railway in Bangkok. With those projects on the go, the
EWEC may not be realised for years.
Laos
As the
country with no railway (apart from a line that extends over the border from
Thailand), you might think that Laos would be the last of the four countries to
fulfil their commitment to a Pan-ASEAN railway. Instead, Laos almost become the
first.
In
Laos the 220 km railway would run from Savannakhet on the Mekong River to Lao
Bao on the Vietnam border. In November 2012 Giant Consolidated from Malaysia
was awarded the contract to construct and operate the Savannakhet-Lao Bao
Railway.
A
ground-breaking ceremony was held in December 2013, and the right-of-way
railway corridor posts was completed in December, 2016. Since then there hasn’t
been any update on the status of this project.
There
is another plan that would extend a railway from Vientiane to Pakse in the
south of Laos. That would then make Savannakhet a junction station. So maybe it
will get a skyline like the one portrayed in the video.
The
video also shows a “Laos Railways” company. If there were 11 stations then
there would be a domestic railway service stopping all stations, and
international high-speed trains from Thailand or Vietnam passing through.
Vietnam
The
Vietnam section from the Lao Bao border to Dong Ha in Quang Tri province is
about 80km, making it the shortest section of the four countries. This route is
mountainous though, so it would be a challenging build. Vietnam also hasn’t
built a new railway for over 40 years, so this may not be a high priority
compared to other work that needs to be done.
When
the EWEC was first announced it included Da Nang as it was the closest sea port
to the corridor. Since then Quang Tri province has established an economic zone
near Dong Ha, which will include a port to serve the EWEC.
In
addition to building a new railway, the North-South line still needs to be
modernised. The plan has been to turn the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City route into a
high-speed railway. The current line is a 1-metre gauge single track railway,
so it would not be able to take trains from a standard-gauge east-west railway.
If the
railways are built then the ports at Dong Ha and Da Nang would be the big
winners, receiving freight from Laos and Thailand. It would also mean you could
travel from Da Nang to Yangon by train. That would make it the world’s second
Indian-Pacific railway (after the Australian railway). The Bay of Bengal is the
northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, and the South China Sea (East Sea in
Vietnam) is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean.
This
Laos-Vietnam railway also has competition from another proposed Laos-Vietnam
railway, connecting Thakhek in Laos to Vung Ang port. This route connects
Vientiane to what would be its closest sea port. This route is serving a
different region, but if only one railway is built at a time then this may get
built first.
(James Clark is the editor of
livinginasia.co and is currently based in Ho Chi Minh City. Follow his travels
at www.nomadicnotes.com and on Twitter at @nomadicnotes)
(Staff article from The IRRAWADDY on 30 July2020.)
Myanmar
MPs Approve ADB Loan for Mekong Corridor Highway: Myanmar’s Union Parliament on
Wednesday approved a US$483.8 million (660 billion kyats) loan from the Asian
Development Bank (ABD) for an expressway that is a part of the international
East West Economic Corridor (EWEC).
The project hopes to link Vietnam’s
port of Da Nang and Thilawa port in Yangon, passing through Laos, Cambodia and
Thailand. The approved 62 km Bago-Kyaik Hto Expressway Project will connect
Bago Region and Mon State, with the Ministry of Construction taking
responsibility.
In
Myanmar, the EWEC is due to link to the planned expressway, the Bago-Thanlyin
road to the Thilawa Special Economic Zone, Yangon’s outer ring road,
Hanthawaddy International airport and the Yangon-Mandalay highway. Military
appointees and lawmakers from other parties objected to the ABD loan.
The
ministry proposed the project on July 17 and the Parliament debated the loans
on Monday. Daw Yin Min Hlaing of the National League for Democracy representing
Gangaw Township in Magwe Region urged the ministry to review the budget as the
cost was too high, costing nearly 22 billion kyats ($16 million) per mile (1.6
km).
Dr. Kyaw
Lin, the deputy construction minister, told Parliament the expressway would
form part of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). It will help “not only the
economic development of Myanmar, but also the connectivity and trade between
Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, which are part of the GMS.”
The deputy minister said the new
four-lane road will save time when traveling from Bago to Kyaikto in Mon State
through Thanatpin and Waw townships. The project is due to start next year and
be completed by 2027. It is expected to take about 55 minutes to travel once
construction is completed, while the existing road currently takes about two
hours.
The
road is due to be an access-controlled expressway with four interchanges, noise
barriers and high walls, 315 small bridges and underpasses. It is also due to
include a 2 km bridge over the Sittaung River. The bridge is due to be built
with a 27.8 billion yen ($264 million) loans from the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA), which was also approved by Parliament on Wednesday.
According
to a JICA study, 3,000 to11,000 vehicles are using the current road each day,
with traffic expected to continue to increase until 2025. As part of the EWEC
project, the government upgraded the Myawaddy-Kawkareik and the Eindu-Kawkareik
sections with ADB loans. The Bago-Thanlyin section, connecting Thilawa Special
Economic Zone, is due to be constructed with another ADB loan.
U Maung Maung Win, the deputy minister of planning, finance and industry, told Parliament that the expressway will boost the domestic and Mekong regional economy but also stimulate trade and safety for road users. The Bago-Kyaikto expressway is part of the COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan to boost the economy by using construction projects to create employment, said U Kyaw Lin. The Construction Ministry looked to receive $2 billion (2.7 trillion kyat) in foreign loans but has so far only received $344 million (469 billion kyats) to use and has not started repaying those loans.
