Central and East Asia Read online

  Not only that, some of these narrow gauge railways are now designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites, and thus cannot be destroyed or materially altered in any way. They will consequently remain at their existing narrow gauges. These UNESCO-designated railways include the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (610 mm), the Kalka-Shimla Railway (762 mm), and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (1000 mm, partially rack-operated).

  Pakistan today:

  Pakistan today is a very different country from that which arose out of the Partition of India. Whereas India has developed its economy (including investing in its railways), and looks outward upon the world, Pakistan (once called West Pakistan before East Pakistan became Bangladesh) is a much more secretive country, and rail travel within the country is all but impossible for foreign visitors. Its economy is in poor condition, reflecting a focus on military activities rather than its infrastructure. Consequently, the state of its railways currently reflects that focus.

  The railway system in Pakistan is known to have been starved of capital investment, with the operating company essentially bankrupt. What investment there has been has yielded a poor return, such as the decision to buy new locomotives from China, which, although costing less than their counterparts from Western nations, have performed very poorly, with many currently unserviceable. Trackwork is equally sub-standard in many areas, and a maximum speed of 120 km/h is currently in force. Some lines are being upgraded to allow 140 km/h working, along with electrification, while a major program of new investment and refurbishment is planned to restore the system to something like its former glory.

  Like India, Pakistan once had a mixture of 1676 mm, 1000 mm and 762 mm gauge railways. Some of Pakistan’s 1000 mm gauge locomotives (e.g. some Kitson-Meyer 2-6-2+2-6-2 articulated steam locos) were originally 762 mm gauge locomotives used in India (such as on the Kalka-Shimla or the Kangra Valley Railways), and converted to metre-gauge.

  Today, most if not all of these narrow gauge railways have been closed, and any remaining ones still operating have been converted to 1676 mm broad gauge.

  When it comes to international connections, Pakistan is hampered on two fronts – political tensions and breaks of gauges. The first I will not comment on, except to say that a number of border crossings (including those with India itself) are currently closed or much more restricted than in the past. Nonetheless, there are trains running between India and Pakistan (such as the Samjhauta Express), and efforts have recently been made to make train travel between the two countries far less restrictive.

  The second front is very clear – Pakistan shares borders with Iran, Afghanistan and China (1435 mm gauge) and of course India (1676 mm gauge). In addition, there are proposals for links with 1520 mm gauge countries. So how does Pakistan propose to handle connections with all its neighbours, including those with gauges different from its own?

  India is the easy one – the gauge between the two countries is a uniform 1676 mm, and, as noted above, trains run between the two countries on a regular, if somewhat infrequent, basis (including rather flamboyant displays of military prowess from each country when a train crosses the gated border).

  The line to Iran continues over the border with that country at 1676 mm gauge, with a switch to 1435 mm gauge well inside Iran – see Iran in Part 3. Similarly, two 1676 mm gauge lines continue at that gauge into Afghanistan, with breaks of gauge again well into that country (see also Part 4 for the multiplicity of gauges that Afghanistan is wrestling with).

  China has built a 1435 mm Standard gauge line to Havelian, a total distance of over 750 km from the Chinese border.

  Connections with 1520 mm countries, such as Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, are still at the proposal stage. Where the breaks of gauge with 1676 mm lines in or from Pakistan will occur are not yet established. Certainly at least one of these 1520 mm gauge proposals aims to bypass any 1435 mm gauge lines in, say Iran or Afghanistan, thereby limiting the numbers of breaks of gauge.

  Quite how, or even if, Pakistan follows through with any of these proposed international connections with its neighbours therefore remains to be seen.

  Bangladesh today:

  Bangladesh, all but divided into two halves by its main north-south River Padma, became an independent country in 1971; before then it was known as East Pakistan. Unlike India and Pakistan, Bangladesh’s railways are predominantly narrow gauge, although the country uses the same 1676 mm and 1000 mm gauges. Of Bangladesh’s nearly 2900 km of route distance, less than 700 km are to 1676 mm gauge, mostly in the western half, and used by international 1676 mm gauge trains from India. The remaining route distance consists of 1800 km of metre-gauge (mostly in the eastern half), and around 400 km of dual gauge line (consisting mostly of links between the two halves). There is no 762 mm gauge line left, the only such line (from Rupsa to Bagerhat) being re-gauged to 1676 mm in 1970.

  Rather than simply convert the metre-gauge lines to broad gauge, as India and Pakistan are doing, Bangladesh is adding additional rails to both gauges to increase the extent of dual gauge track. Eventually the internal breaks of gauge that currently exist will be eradicated, whether the trains are 1000 mm or 1676 mm gauge – trains of either gauge will be able to traverse the same route.

  There are four links with India’s 1676 mm system, although very few trains actually make use of these links (there is, for example, just one passenger train – the Maitree Express – five days a week between India, originating in Kolkata, and terminating in Dhakar in Bangladesh, although this is planned to be increased to a daily service). There are no links with Myanmar (Burma), to the south-east of Bangladesh, although one has been proposed, as both countries share the use of metre-gauge.

  Trams and metros:

  For such a large and very populous area of the world (India itself is the second largest country, in terms of population, after China), the Indian sub-continent is surprisingly bereft of trams and metros. Interestingly though, those that do exist are the few places where you will see Standard gauge!

  Calcutta (or Kolkata) has both a metro and a tram system. While the tram is to 1435 mm gauge, the metro sports (or will sport) both 1435 and 1676 mm gauges, likely due to political wrangling between various factions (see Delhi below – possibly the same political interference that happened there also has happened in Kolkata). The East-West Metro to Standard gauge is currently under construction, to be opened in 2018 – the 1676 mm gauge Line 1 opened in 1984.

  The tram system in Kolkata dates from 1873. The tramway was initially built to 1000 mm gauge, but was converted to Standard gauge around 1900 or 1901.

  Delhi is perhaps a demonstration of how political influences can wreak havoc in transportation planning and operation. The city, like Kolkata, has both Standard gauge and 1676 mm gauge metro systems, both recently built. The broad gauge system, consisting of the Red, Yellow and Blue lines, is designated as Phase 1, and was inaugurated in 2002. It is operated by main-line Indian Railways, even though parts are underground, and Indian Railways are considered ill-suited to run such a system. The decision to use 1676 mm gauge was a political one, imposed by the Ministry of Railways in 2000, notwithstanding the Delhi Metro Railways Corporation’s preference to use Standard gauge. Phase 2, consisting of four lines mostly underground, is to a mix of 1676 mm and 1435 mm gauge (the Green line 5 is to Standard gauge), and opened in 2009. The entire system uses overhead catenary for current supply.

  New extensions – Phases 3 and 4 – are being planned, and these will be to Standard gauge. It remains to be seen if some sort of rationalisation will occur by converting the entire system to all one gauge – likely 1435 mm Standard gauge, as that appears to be what is now the preferred option.

  There used to be a metre-gauge tram system in Delhi, but it closed in 1963. Mumbai, Patna, Kanpur, and Nasik also once had tram systems, but all are now closed. It is not known what gauges these systems were built to.

  Standard gauge metro systems are either proposed, under construction or recently placed into operation
in Bangalore, Madras, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Mumbai in India. It’s interesting that all these systems have opted for 1435 mm Standard gauge, and not the Indian broad gauge of 1676 mm. Perhaps the use of both gauges for the Kolkata and Delhi metros has proven to be not such a good choice after all, as exemplified by the fact that both Delhi and Kolkata have elected to use Standard gauge for all their extensions and new lines, and the systems in these other cities have elected to do the same. Obviously Project Unigauge doesn’t extend to metros!

  Madras once had a 1000 mm gauge tramway, but it closed in 1953.

  There are no metro or tram systems in Pakistan or Bangladesh.

  SRI LANKA

  Although a separate island off the southern tip of India, and therefore not connected with mainland India’s railways, Sri Lanka’s railways are nonetheless also primarily to 1676 mm gauge, again thanks to the country’s British rulers in the 1860s. Sri Lanka also experiences high winds and monsoons.

  But while the broad gauge was originally justified in India as providing additional stability during monsoon rains and high winds, not even a gauge of 1676 mm could withstand a tsunami. One of the world’s most horrific rail disasters occurred when the huge tsunami of 2004 derailed and then overwhelmed a Sri Lankan train, resulting in over 2500 deaths.

  Originally known as Ceylon, and famous for its tea, Sri Lanka used to boast three 762 mm gauge railways, all of them involved in transporting tea to depots for onward shipment. Today this is now performed by road transport, and these narrow gauge railways are now closed. Some of these tracks were 762/1676 mm dual gauged.

  Will Sri Lanka’s railways stay at 1676 mm gauge? As in so much of Asia, China has announced plans to invest in the country’s railway system. That may include (although this is by no means confirmed) converting the network to Standard gauge (there is obviously no requirement for any connection with the 1676 mm gauge railways on the mainland). The network extends currently for a distance of 1500 km, so conversion is not a huge undertaking. With the system in drastic need of investment, China’s desire to export its railway technology may just be the impetus for such a conversion.

  NEPAL, BHUTAN

  Nepal (originally part of India) is sandwiched between its neighbours India to the south and China to the north, and consequently has been heavily influenced primarily by both India and Britain during its history. Some of Nepal’s locomotives and rolling stock are even British-built ‘hand-me-downs’ from India.

  The country’s railways thus reflect those of India, inasmuch as Nepal has shunned Standard gauge for its railways, and looks to continue to do so, at least for the moment.

  There are (or were) in fact only two railways operating. A 762 mm gauge line 53 km long, from Jayanagar (which is actually in India, where it meets up with a metre-gauge line), originally went as far as Bijalpura, but then stopped at Janakpur, a 30 km distance, after a bridge on the line collapsed. In 2014 it finally closed. But all is not lost.

  Conversion of the narrow gauge line from Jayanagar to 1676 mm broad gauge is progressing, and scheduled to open in 2017. There are also plans to construct over 1300 km of new lines, including 1676 mm gauge links to the border with China.

  There is also a short length of line (6 km) that is effectively an extension of another line from India, and which also was originally 762 mm gauge, but was converted to 1676 mm broad gauge.

  Another 762 mm gauge railway, from Raxaul to Amlehagunj, has been closed for some time, although there are plans to re-open it, as well as convert it to broad gauge. All these conversions to broad gauge are in effect an extension of India’s Project Unigauge.

  But what little remains of Nepal’s 762 mm gauge railways are in a chronic state of dilapidation. Tracks are in an appalling state, with frequent derailments, while the one or two locomotives still running are in such a state of disrepair that breakdowns are the norm. Trains sometimes are not to be seen for days at a time, and there is doubt that the system can continue without major investment. From where might such investment originate?

  As we have seen in so many other parts of the world, China might well provide the answer, especially as Nepal of course shares a border with China. If China does start investing in Nepal, and notwithstanding India’s program to extend its 1676 mm Unigauge conversion throughout Nepal, will China throw everything into disarray by converting Nepal’s railways to Standard gauge? In a year or two we might find out.

  Bhutan currently has no railways. However, an agreement has been signed between Bhutan and India to construct a 1676 mm gauge line between the two countries. Construction has yet to start.

  CHINA (INCLUDING TIBET AND HONG KONG)

  Continuing in a general eastwards direction, we now travel on our odyssey to the only major area in central and eastern Asia where 1435 mm Standard gauge rules – China.

  When you look at the rate of car ownership and car production in China, you might be forgiven into thinking that mainland China has abandoned the idea of railways altogether. Today, China is making between 13 and 15 million cars a year – more than the whole of Western Europe, and equalling, or even exceeding, that of North America (Mexico, the USA and Canada) in a good year. Today, China is the world’s largest new car market, the world’s second largest oil consumer, after the USA, and there are now over 100 million cars on China’s roads. That number is predicted to double within the next four or five years.

  But that doesn’t mean to say that China is forsaking railways in the light of such an explosion in car ownership – just the opposite in fact. The train is very much an integral part of the country’s remarkable economic progress, and China is building railways at a ferocious rate. The rail network is already the second largest in the world, after the USA, having just overtaken Russia, and daily ridership has increased over ten-fold from the 237 000 recorded just ten years ago to 2.5 million in 2016.

  China also sees rail as the fastest and cheapest means of transporting goods from factory to markets around the world. But new lines are not only for the movement of freight in the quest to export ever more products to the rest of the world. Passenger services are receiving the kind of high speed state-of-the-art trains that Europe and Japan have enjoyed for some years now (and America might enjoy one day), as well as upgrades to the rest of the passenger network.

  China has instigated a program that has been termed ‘high-speed railway diplomacy’, designed to showcase China’s ever increasing high speed railway expertise to the world, with the aim of course that the rest of the world will buy into that expertise (even if much of that expertise is reverse-engineered from other countries’ products, particularly Japanese and French, something China has openly admitted). A Chinese CRH380BL high speed train that recently entered regular passenger service (i.e. not a specially modified train set) has reached a speed of 487 km/h on one of China’s new high speed lines (the line from Beijing to Shanghai), during a testing run in January 2011. That is a speed that is less than 90 km/h slower than the all-out record of 575 km/h the French achieved in 2007 (see Part 1). The CRH series of trains represent the designation for high speeds.

  It is reported that China has reached 600 km/h in some very recent tests, although that is not officially verified as yet (which is probably why it has not been publicised – if true, this would mean that China would now hold the world rail-based speed record). A speed of 350 km/h in everyday regular use is the immediate target for all Chinese high speed lines (two lines have already achieved this target), eventually rising to 400 km/h (one line is already very close to this).

  Already, in 2016, China now boasts around 19 000 km of high-speed (over 200 km/h) lines, and this represents well over half the world’s total. Even ‘legacy’ lines are receiving the upgrade treatment, in order to allow faster travel between the smaller towns and cities. China hopes that most routine passenger express trains will be able to travel at no less than 200 km/h between any two major population centres within the next few years, while a few non-high speed lines will permi
t 250 km/h. Freight trains will be rated for 120 km/h.

  One of the results of China’s massive rail building program is to not only to expand its own network, but to export its expertise and capability to other countries. China is currently negotiating with over 20 countries, both in terms of building and financing such programs, and many of these programs have been, or will be, described in other chapters and Parts of this book.

  One of the most amazing features of Chinese railway building is the extraordinary variety in physical and climatic extremes its internal railway building has to overcome. China of course borders on the highest mountains in the world, with towns nestling at around 4000 m above sea level under peaks rising to over 8000 m, while Chinese winters regularly see temperatures dipping below -40 °C for long periods at a time. Large areas of the country are subject to permafrost, which of course is a railway builder’s worst nightmare, while from one end of the country to the other, trains have to cover huge distances in often remote and very sparsely populated territory.

  Yet China has managed to overcome all these challenges, and built railways in the most inhospitable of regions, while still (so it says) preserving and maintaining the highest environmental controls and standards. Visitors to Beijing on a typically smoggy day may question that last boast, but China is perhaps becoming more sensitive to being censured by the world if it ran roughshod over what is now pristine and environmentally sensitive countryside, so perhaps there is at least a small element of truth in what it says about protecting the environment.

  Perhaps to exemplify this concern, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway opened in 2006, and as the last link in covering China with rail lines, it runs for almost 2000 km from Beijing to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, which is situated 3500 m above sea level. The line lays claim to having the highest tunnels in the world, the highest of which is at 5047 m above sea level. The line’s peak altitude of 5072 m designates it as the highest rails in the world, overtaking the previous highest rails in the world, in the Andes in South America.