Asian Rails

[GWR]

http://www.fepow-community.org.uk/research/Death_Railway/index.htm
Click on Map to Enlarge. Interesting Anglicized & Nipponified versions of Thai & Burmese placenames.

[GWR]

http://www.far-eastern-heroes.org.uk/Reg_Rainer_Returns/html/map_of_death_railway.htm
On a completely tangential note, the rail map here appears to show the old market station at Chachoengsao as a terminus station beyond the junction for Aranyaprathet. The map suggests that the railway stretched to Saigon at that time. I believe there used to be a Phnom Penh-Saigon link. Any comment?

CORRECTION:
The link below indicates that this planned route was never commenced; although some work was done on the Vietnam side around Tay Ninh. I'll swear blind that some old maps show this route as fact. Vietnamese government sites suggest that a Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh route will start construction some time before 2010.
http://www.ocm.gov.kh/c_inf4.htm

[GWR]

From that advocate of landbridges - The Schiller Institute. This PDF map seems to originate from the Asian Development Bank. Huge inaccuracies in Thailand's rail routes don't exactly inspire confidence.
http://www.schillerinstitute.org/graphics/maps/landbridge_maps/jbt_landbridge_pdf/Figure07bMekongRail.pdf

[Yappofloyd]

I think that the obvious fact about the Schiller Inst. mob is that accuracy, economics and social utility isn't really a priority for them in advocating certain projects. The political reality of their projects also seems to be fairly irrelevent as well. However, I guess we do need the dreamers.....

[GWR]

http://www.farrail.net/
Maps Section (some sketched) (http://www.farrail.net/maps/landkarten.html)
http://www.farrail.net/maps/Guangxi-Hechi-700.gif
I'm particularly taken with the atmospheric shots of Burmese Railways (http://www.farrail.net/pages/trip-reports-engl/trip-report_burma-03.html)
Sample below:-
http://www.farrail.net/bilder/burma/2003/steinzug-waw-sa-yc.jpg

[GWR]

Well, truthfully, this is far more than just a map; although there are some interesting ones included. Again, I'll link you to Airlana's original post:-
"Railway Wonders of the World" Volume 4 by Winchester & Allen, published 1936 has chapters for Thailand, British Malaya, Burma & India .

Malaya & India:-

http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=4434&postcount=1


Thailand & Burma:-

http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=4421&postcount=1

[GWR]

Trans-Asia Railway Project Map, Southern Corridor of Europe - Asia Routes:-
http://www.unescap.org/ttdw/common/TIS/TAR/iran.asp
UNESCAP Page on same project:-
http://www.unescap.org/ttdw/common/TIS/TAR/scorridor.asp

[ooddy]

is the project still active? Who is running the show and paying for it?

[GWR]

I suspect no one. I suppose the idea is that the 'international conference circle of engaged expense account holders' creates the pipedreams and then individual nations gradually see bits of it as a good idea and build short stretches of it to communicate with their neighbors. I suspect railway technology will be completely out of date by the time consensus is reached; by which time global warming will probably have swept away more low-lying sections anyway.

[GWR]

Here's a large UN-ESCAP Report circa 2000 in downloadable .PDF Format; which includes a lot of maps & route descriptions.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC - Development of The Trans-Asian Railway
TRANS-ASIAN RAILWAY IN THE NORTH-SOUTH CORRIDOR
NORTHERN EUROPE TO THE PERSIAN GULF :-

http://www.unescap.org/tctd/pubs/files/tarnsfulltext.pdf