Pakistan and Turkey to collaborate on $20B rail link. Pakistan to connect to the EU via train.
Turkish hi speed trains. Coming soon to Pakistan!
For all the negative crap in the media about Pakistan, you wouldn’t know news from reality until you kept your eye on the massive economic and infrastructure deals Pakistan’s been busy inking! Pakistan and Turkey, in particular, have really stepped up joint projects in the recent past. I’ve been trying to keep up with various civil and military initiatives that the two countries are undertaking and it’s getting to be quite a list. For example, the upgradation of Pakistan Air Force F-16 jets in Turkey and the potential purchase of ATAK T-129 gunship helicopters from Turkey’s TAI Aselsan corporation are just two examples. Collaboration on the construction of Pakistan’s huge Bhasha Hydroelectric Dam and expansion of Turkish banks into Pakistan are two others.
However, today’s announcements trumps everything else. Meeting with President Zardari in Ankara, President Abdullah Gul announced that Pakistan, Iran and Turkey will be working on an over $20B project to significantly uprade the rail infrastructure in all three countries and create a single integrated line that will connect Pakistan directly with the EU.
By avoiding the slow ocean route and the very expensive aerial route, rail links will open new avenues of cooperation and growth for companies in all three countries. Not only will this link give a significant boost to Pak-Turk trade, but also to Pak-Iran economic ties. In fact, this would be the third significant infrastructure project Pakistan has embarked on that involves Iran. The first being the supply of electricity via Iranian power plants to several parts of Baluchistan, next in line is the massive Iran Pakistan (soon to be IPC, or Iran Pakistan China) oil pipeline project and now this rail initiative.
Now if only India would work diligently towards settling its outstanding issues with Pakistan. Perhaps it too could benefit from the Iran Pakistan pipeline, and direct rail links to the EU!
Here’s more from The News:
A comprehensive presentation was given to the Pakistani and Turkish Presidents on the 6,566 kilometres Rail project from Islamabad to Istanbul, via Tehran, with 1,990 kilometres track situated in Pakistan, 2,570 kilometres in Iran and 2,006 kilometres in Turkey.
“This rail link will strengthen Pakistan’s economy as well as people to people ties with not only brotherly Muslim countries but also onwards to Europe”, remarked President Zardari who floated the Islamabad-Istanbul cargo train idea last year when an experimental train was run on the route on his initiative on August 14.
January 26th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
This is brilliant.
Now only if they manage to keep the fare cheap, cross continent travelling would be so much cheaper!
January 26th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
bai media wohi dikhata hai jo ho raha hota hai
As for this project, well, batain bari bari hoti rehti hain, we will see what comes on ground. We all know much of GRAND projects lie in dustbin of history at the end. Lets hope this one is not only materialized but also it is maintained properly and not the one like the one operating within country.
January 26th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Also lets hope zardari doesnt have 10% in this 20B
January 26th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
i will love to travel cross continent!! and if India opens up it section of the railway link, then India is connected via rail link wid Bangladesh, and Bangladesh is connected wid other neighbors
wooowww it wud b from Europe to east Asia in rail 
January 26th, 2010 at 11:54 pm
Mr. 10% is now purportedly Mr. 100%. sigh.
January 27th, 2010 at 12:12 am
LoveBai, and you would know because you are his middleman? Go do something productive rather than adding fuel to negative rumour mongering.
January 27th, 2010 at 9:52 am
It is great project that Turkey, Iran and Pakistan government will create a single train line that will connect Pakistan directly with all European Union countries.
January 27th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
I wonder if Iran realizes that its real friend is Pakistan and not the Indians. They’ve built a road in Afghanistan along the border just to create trouble for us.
The sooner American leave Afghanistan the quicker we would be able to kick out Karzai and contain Indians from their Maha Bharat ideology.
February 17th, 2010 at 3:33 pm
It is very nice project by Turkey Government. This is a very good opportunity for those Pakistani people who want to visit all European cities through Turkey Train Route .
At this time we need to promote our national train system.