Experience of the Transport Division in promoting an integrated regional transport infrastructure"

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Experience of the Transport Division in promoting
an integrated regional transport infrastructure"
Expert Group Meeting on Enhancing Regional Energy
Security Cooperation in Asia and the
Pacific Bangkok, 9-11 December 2009
Barry Cable Director Transport Division
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ALTID Project

• 1992 Initiated Asian Land Transport
  Infrastructure Development project
• TAR (Trans Asian Railways)
• AH (Asian Highway)
• Facilitation of land transport
• 1996 Ministerial Conference on Infrastructure,
  New Delhi
• New Delhi Action Plan
• Regional Action Plan Phase I (1997-2001)
• 2001 Ministerial Conference on Infrastructure,
  Seoul
• Regional Action Plan Phase II (2002-2006)
• Formalization of AH and TAR
• 2006 Ministerial Conference on Transport, Busan
• Regional Action Programme Phase I (2007-2011)
• Integrated international intermodal transport and
  logistics system
• AH and TAR as two major building blocks with dry
  ports and logistics as an important additional
  elements

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ALTID Route Criteria

• Networks should include
• Capital-to-capital links
• Connections to main industrial and agricultural
  centres
• Connections to major airports, seaports and river
  ports
• Connections to major inland container terminals
• Make the maximum possible use of existing
  infrastructure

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Formulation of the Asian Highway
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Asian Highway

• Covers 142,000 km in 32 countries
• Basis for formulation of road networks at the
  subregional level
• ASEAN Highway Network
• ECO Road Network
• Northeast Asia Priority Road Network
• CAREC Transport Corridor
• Basis for negotiation of bilateral and
  subregional agreements-ASEAN, SCO, SAARC

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Asian Highway (Formalization)

• Need to establish a mechanism for coordinated
  development and operation (Intergovernmental
  Agreement)
• Similar agreements exist
• European Agreement on Main International Traffic
  Arteries (AGR) 1975
• Agreement on International Roads on the Arab
  Mashreg

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Intergovernmental Agreement on AH Network
First Draft of the Agreement
1st Working Group Meeting November 2002
Subregional Seminar ASEAN February 2003
Subregional Seminar ECO March 2003
Subregional Seminar NEA June 2003
Subregional Seminar SAARC May 2003
Input from OLA
Intergovernmental Meeting on AH Bangkok,
November 2003
Adoption of the Agreement
Input from Countries
Signing Ceremony, 60th Commission Shanghai,
April 2004
Entry into force 4 July 2007
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1995
2001
1996
1999
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Intergovernmental Agreement on TAR Network
First Draft of the Agreement
Regional meeting for drafting the Agreement,
November 2004
Subregional Seminar South Asia New Delhi, April
2005
Consultation within ASEAN Railway CEO
Conference Jakarta, July 2005
Subregional Seminar Caucasus, Central Asia, North
and NE Asia Moscow, September 2005
Adoption of the Agreement 62nd
Commission Jakarta, April 2006
Input from OLA
Intergovernmental Meeting on AH Bangkok,
November 2005
Input from Countries
Signing Ceremony, Ministerial Conference on
Transport Busan, November 2006
Entry into force 11 June 2009
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Demonstration Runs

• Container block train on TAR-NC
• Planning and implementation
• Policy-level EGM (Sep. 2001)
• MOU signed
• Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Poland,
  Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation
• International Union of Railways (UIC),
  Organization of Railways Cooperation (OSJD)
• Steering Committee meetings

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Benefits of AH and TAR Agreements

• Harmonized development of roads and railways of
  international importance
• Technical and design standards
• Designate international border crossings cannot
  be unilaterally changed
• AH and TAR being recognized as priority for
  investment by development partners and member
  countries
• AH and TAR routes being used for international
  transport
• Increased regular services of container block
  trains along the TAR network, following
  demonstration runs
• AH routes forming basis for negotiation of
  bilateral and subregional agreements-ASEAN, SCO,
  SAARC
• AH design standards (annex II) being increasingly
  used in upgrading and rehabilitation of AH
  routes

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Agreement on Dry Ports

• Dry ports and logistics as an important
  additional element of the vision of an
  international integrated intermodal transport and
  logistics system for Asia and the Pacific
• Building on the success of AH and TAR, a regional
  network of dry ports could be formalized through
  an intergovernmental agreement
• Promote the international recognition of dry
  ports,
• Facilitate infrastructure investment
• Define operational services for a more harmonized
  approach to the development and operation of dry
  ports
• 1st session of the Forum of Asian Ministers of
  Transport, 14-18 December 2009, Bangkok

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Thank you