Title: Experience of the Transport Division in promoting an integrated regional transport infrastructure"
1Experience 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
2ALTID 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
3ALTID 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
4 Formulation of the Asian Highway
5Asian 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
6Asian 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
7Intergovernmental 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
81995
2001
1996
1999
9Intergovernmental 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
10Demonstration 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
11Benefits 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
12Agreement 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
13Thank you