The Hindu Business Line : China-Singapore rail link proposed

China has unveiled a blueprint for rail links with Singapore. Three proposals have been mooted for the proposed link, according to Schednet news. One, described as Central Line, is a 4200-km link from Kunming in Yunan province with Singapore via Laos. About 1300 km of this line already exists. Two, the Western Line proposes a 4900-km link from Guangtong to Ruili in Guangxi province and then to Singapore.

Nearly 975 km of the proposed line already exists. Three, 5,500-km long Eastern Line running from Hekou port in Guanxi province through Vietnam to Singapore. More than 400 km of this line already exists. The link with Singapore, it is estimated, will cost around $2 billion, more than 70 per cent of which is to be borne by China, and it may take up to 10 years to complete the work.

It may be recalled that the proposal for a rail link between Kunming and Singapore was first mooted by the former Malaysian Prime Minister, Mr Mahathir Mohammed, at the ASEAN meeting in 1995. His suggestion was that the link from China to Singapore should run through Laos, Thailand and Malaysia.