Pak-China Rail Link News

[kugga]

I am up for modernization of railways to international status

Would love to see these running in Pakistan....

In fact if such trains are inducted in our railway system, Pakistanis would go in groups to railway stations just to see it...

 

[Peacefull]

Nice trains, can anyone tell me what sort of arrangements pakistan have china, for exg in future if pakistan wants to export its manpower to china ? do pakistani people have easy access facilities to china ? If this thing comes up nicely then pakistanis would be working in china for the week and travelling back to pakistan on the weekend.

 

[GUNNER]

PAKISTAN – CHINA Kashgar Gwadar railway line would give Beijing a window on the Persian Gulf


Such a railway line would allay China’s greatest fear, a naval blockade that could stop oil shipments from Africa and the Middle East. However, major political, technical and financial problems remain, including India’s opposition.


Monday, July 12, 2010

Beijing – Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Chinese President Hu Jintao met last Wednesday during an official visit of the Pakistani leader to the mainland. They discussed plans to build a railway line from Kashgar in China’s Xinjiang province to the Pakistani port of Gwadar.

This could give China direct access to the Persian Gulf and make Pakistan an alternative route for Chinese goods and Middle East and African oil, which currently have to go around India.

The ambitious plan has been on the drawing boards for many years. It has advantages for both parties. Beijing would have direct access to the Arabian Sea; currently, 80 per cent of China’s oil travels through the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Malacca, an area plagued by piracy. More importantly, in case of war, China’s enemies could easily block its oil supplies. Pakistan would especially benefit from increased traffic in the Gwadar port, which was built with Chinese capital and assistance and opened in 2008.

Now the railway, which until recently appeared to be technically impossible because of the difficult terrain, at 5,000 metres above sea level, could be built thanks to the experience and knowledge China has accumulated during the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet railway.

However, Professor Wang Mengshu, a rail expert at Beijing Jiaotong University, said that the Kashgar-Gwadar project would be "more difficult than the one in Tibet" because Chinese surveyors and mappers will not have as good an understanding of the local terrain as they did in Tibet.

This would also create uncertainties about the cost, which Wang estimates would be around 200 million yuan (US$ 30 million) per kilometre, a bill too great even for Beijing.

In addition, India is not going to look favourably at closer Sino-Pakistani relations. New Delhi has always regarded Islamabad as its main adversary and Beijing as its main rival.

In fact, the proposed railway would have to pass through Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a territory claimed by India, and would thus undermine the latter’s its claim. Indeed, important Indian newspapers have described the project as a serious threat to India's security.

However, the idea still has many supporters in China and many see its completion as only a matter of time.

People's Liberation Army Navy Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo said China relied too heavily on sea transportation for its oil imports. Hence, "We must either build a much more powerful navy or find alternative transportation channels."

 

[Hyde]

Nice trains, can anyone tell me what sort of arrangements pakistan have china, for exg in future if pakistan wants to export its manpower to china ? do pakistani people have easy access facilities to china ? If this thing comes up nicely then pakistanis would be working in china for the week and travelling back to pakistan on the weekend.

travelling in china is not a big issue. I remember in my last visit to Pakistan, me and my brother planned to visit china. I rang chinese embassy to find more details. They said if you are travelling on british passport we will charge you 100 dollars and if you are travelling on Pakistani passport we will issue visa for free

I didn't find any major visa requirement to visit china and if this railway track is laid i am sure both chinese and Pakistanis will be benefited from tourism also

 

[S_O_C_O_M]

China Pakistan rail link to change geography

 

[S_O_C_O_M]

China Pakistan rail link to change geography​

Posted on July 7, 2010 by The Editors

Putting the Silk road on rails will be seminal event and transformative event which will fundamentally change the geography of the border between Pakistan and China. The Trans-Karakoram Rial line has moved beyond the feasibility stage and has now moved to the phase of “rubber meets the road”. The last time the Pakistani Rial officials visited China they were astounded by the amount of research the Chinese side had done on the project. The plan was originally proposed in 2004 and there has been tremendous progress on this line.

Not only will the rial line link Pakistan and China, it will also be expanded and will ink up Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and the other Central Asia Republics, hooking up the Asia Rialway which reaches Europe.

•The 700 km rail link has been planned between Kashgar in China and Havelian in Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain ranges and the 4000 metre high Khunjareb pass in Pakistan.
•During the 1970s, it built the Karakoram highway between Xinjiang and northern Pakistan.
•Then, the railroad that connected the rest of China to TIbet’s capital city Lhasa. China now wants to extend this railroad right up to Nepal.
•And now, the 700 km rail link from Kashgar in Xinjiang province to Havelian near Rawalpindi in northern Pakistan through Karakoram in Pakistan
•After completing Havelian-Khunjerab track, China would link with Pakistan’s Gawadar Port.

This rail line is not the only one being planned. Rail lines are also being built to Dushambe and to Ferghana. The Turks, Iranians and the Pakistanis are also linking up Islamabad to Ankara via Tehran. Pakistani goods can thus travel to Europe without any hindrance, and Chinese and Central Asian goods can travel down to the warm waters of the Arabian sea.

The Chinese plans, according to reports, is to build the rail link to Pakistan and reach the Arabian sea through the Gilgit-Baltistan region in. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a feasibility study on building the Karakoram railway line is expected to be signed between Beijing and Islamabad during President Asif Ali Zardari’s current, ongoing visit to China. Pakistan’s General Manager Railways (operation) Ishfaq Khattak has joined Mr Zardari’s delegation and is expected to be a key player in this fantastic venture.

The pre-feasibility study has already been completed by two international consulting companies. The 628 km railway track is would connect all major cities on the Pakistani side, thus the rail line would hook up Kashgar to Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Sarghoda, Faisalabad, Karachi and of course Gwader. An international consortium would be working on the line.

Bharat is of course chagrined. Delhi’s concerns have all been ignored by the two countries.

The ever growing friendship and cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad is now once agian reaching new heights. The plan to build the rail link follows the Sino-Pakistan Civilian Nuclear deal.

Russia is also bulding roads and rial systems connecting Dushambe and Ferghana with Islamabad.
China Paksitan rail link to change geography Rupee News

 

[Hyde]

India objects to Sino-Pak road and rail link ​

By Our Correspondent
Friday, 30 Jul, 2010

The Karakoram transit passes through a part of territory in Jammu and Kashmir which is ‘illegally occupied’ by Pakistan: S.M. Krishna. — File Photo

NEW DELHI: India has protested to China over a China-Pakistan highway, saying the Karakoram transit passes through a part of territory in Jammu and Kashmir which is ‘illegally occupied’ by Pakistan, Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna told parliament on Thursday.

“India has clearly conveyed to China its consistent position that Pakistan was in illegal occupation of parts of Jammu and Kashmir since 1947 following reports that China was building a rail line and highway in ***************** Kashmir,” the United News of India quoted Mr Krishna as telling the Rajya Sabha.

Mr Krishna’s written statement came in response to questions by deputies. He said that India had conveyed its concern to China and asked it to cease such activities.

China was regarding Kashmir as a bilateral matter to be settled between India and Pakistan, Mr Krishna said while answering the questions.

He said the government had seen reports to the effect that China was seeking to build a railway line and highway projects in ***, New Delhi’s name for Azad Kashmir, and it had taken up the issue with them.

The government would keep a constant vigil on all developments having a bearing on India’s national interest and take all necessary measures to safeguard it, UNI quoted the minister as saying.

Answering a related question, Mr Krishna said India had taken up the reports of China building a dam on the upper reaches of Tsangpo/ Brahmaputra, known as Tsangpo in Tibet, with China during his visit to Beijing in April.

China had conveyed that it always had shown a responsible attitude towards trans-border rivers. The Chinese foreign minister had also clarified that the planned construction at Zangmu was that of a small power project and it would not store water or regulate the volume of water.

It, therefore, would not have any adverse impact on downstream flows, he added.

Mr Krishna said the two countries had established an expert-level mechanism to discuss cooperation on all issues regarding trans-bor-der rivers and it had held four meetings between September 2007 and April 2010.

 

[Hyde]

was it necassary to say "Pakistan... Occupied Kashmir"?
why not write Azad Kashmir or just Kashmir instead?

Just wondering

 

[AstroTrain]

You can move alot of troops -support and for 2 front engagements- quickly with these . . .

 

[Nahraf]

Pakistan Railways is in crisis and has closed several routes. Hopefully these new route and trains could resuscitate Pakistan Railways and people will again start traveling by trains. We need high speed bullet trains between Peshawar-Islamabad-Lahore and Lahore-Multan-Karachi corridors.

 

[Frankenstein]

yes only if we have money

and we also need adequate electricity for such MRT trains

 

[somebozo]

Pakistan and China have a long way to go and this friendship will be written as legendry in history books. Our thousands of years releation with China stand unhidnered even today.


Bechare indians per rehamd karoo..yeh kio bar bar painda jalane wale threads start kerte ho..

 

[faisaljaffery]

India's concern are absolutely well grounded and 100% correct. Kashmir under pakistan's control is a disputed territory and pakistan should not exploit it for benefit as they call it azad. Also, its not good on part of china when they want good relations with India.

If Pakistan's controlled kashmir is a disputed territory then why india is building dams like bhagliar and krishinganga in the IOK???. China wanting good relations with India doesnot mean that they compromise their strategic interests in the name of good relations.

 

[Carnivore]

You can move alot of troops -support and for 2 front engagements- quickly with these . . .

High speed railway can not transport troops, especially military equipments like tanks, armored vehicles ,etc. Its subgrade cannot bear that weight. And because some military vehicles' width is much larger than that of bullet train's carriages, it will be quite difficult to cross the tunnels.

Bullet trains are merely for passenger transport. One train with eight carriages can transport 700 people and cross 1000km distance in three hours. If these trains set out at 15 minutes intervals and work 20 hours day, they can transport 56,000 people, which may take at least 1000 buses to carry. This huge traffic capacity can free the exited railways so all of them can be used for freight transport, the profit of which is much higher than that of passenger transport. This is bullet trains' biggest advantage.

 

[Carnivore]

Well, I spend two hours reading this thread. It seems most people are optimistic with this project (Kashgar-Gwadar railway). Yet I take a pessimistic view towards the progress of this railway. I try to consult Chinese Railway Ministry's "middle/long-term railway construction programme" (中长期铁路建设规划, the picture below)

In the picture above, solid lines stand for railways that can be opened to traffic before 2020. In fact this picture was released in 2008 so some railways on it has been completed. Currently most engineers on palteau railway are working on Lhasa-Xigaze railway, which will be opened to traffic by 2012. Meantime, they are constructing two difficult railways—— Kashgar-Hotan railway and Chengdu——Lanzhou railway. Chengdu——Lanzhou railway is regarded as more difficult than Qinghai-Tibet railway and will be opened by 2014. Kashgar-Hotan railway has already been at the stage of track laying and will be opened by the last months of 2011 even if under the slowest progress. Before the completion of these three railways, we don't have enough resources and manpower to start the construction of other railways in western China or acoss the border.

Besideds, dotted lines stands for railways being planned but may not be completed before 2020. China Railway Corporation is considering build a railway between Kashgar and Khunjerab after completing Kashgar——Hotan railway but whether it will stretch into Pakistan is not known. This depends on Pakistan's internal political environment and economic demands.

As for the cost , I find an article introduces a littile information. try to insert the link and screenshot

中巴铁路完成可行性研究 Feasibility report of Sino-Pakistan railway

try to translate it roughly. It says a Germany-Australia company and China's Oriental Electric complete this feasibility report jointly. This Sino-Pakistan railway will go by Gilgit,Abbottabad etc. Its length is 662km and will cost $10.2 billion, with the estimated project duration of 15 years.