ahsingjai
08-01-2005, 10:01 AM
Koreas to Open Road, Rail Links in October
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200507/kt2005073119535011950.htm
SEOUL (Yonhap) _ South and North Korea agreed to formally open rail and road links around late October, government sources here said Sunday.
The two sides said test runs by trains will start once authorities from both sides agree to provide military safeguards for the overland transportation lines.
There are currently two railway lines linking the two Koreas over the 248-kilometer-long demilitarized zone. The west coast line connecting Seoul with Pyongyang is the Kyongui Line, while the one on east coast is called the Tonghae Line. There are also two roads adjacent to the railway lines.
The agreement forged at a working-level meeting in Kaesong, North Korea on Saturday calls for joint on-site inspections of the Kyongui Line on August 18 and 20 and of the Tonghae Line on the 23rd and 25th of the month.
Inspectors from the two sides will conduct safety checks of the railroad and related infrastructure like signals and communications.
In the Kaesong meeting, representatives concurred on the need to create a joint management committee and agreed to exchange lists of the names of panel members in the near future, participants in the talks said.
The management committee is expected to provide formal backing for future operations of both the railways and roads.
In addition, South Korean officials at the meeting said Seoul will pay for the building of train stations on the northern side as well as provide other forms of assistance.
``Once trains start making test runs on the railway linking the two countries in October, full railway services could take place by the end of the year,’’ said a government official.
He added it is significant that the roads linking the two countries, which were completed in November of last year, will officially be launched.
The official also said the two sides agreed to meet whenever the need arises in Kaesong or at the North’s Mt. Kumgang to discuss details of opening the overland routes.
South Korea hopes the railways and roads will ultimately be connected to northern China, Mongolia and Europe, providing both Koreas with greater economic opportunities.
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200507/kt2005073119535011950.htm
SEOUL (Yonhap) _ South and North Korea agreed to formally open rail and road links around late October, government sources here said Sunday.
The two sides said test runs by trains will start once authorities from both sides agree to provide military safeguards for the overland transportation lines.
There are currently two railway lines linking the two Koreas over the 248-kilometer-long demilitarized zone. The west coast line connecting Seoul with Pyongyang is the Kyongui Line, while the one on east coast is called the Tonghae Line. There are also two roads adjacent to the railway lines.
The agreement forged at a working-level meeting in Kaesong, North Korea on Saturday calls for joint on-site inspections of the Kyongui Line on August 18 and 20 and of the Tonghae Line on the 23rd and 25th of the month.
Inspectors from the two sides will conduct safety checks of the railroad and related infrastructure like signals and communications.
In the Kaesong meeting, representatives concurred on the need to create a joint management committee and agreed to exchange lists of the names of panel members in the near future, participants in the talks said.
The management committee is expected to provide formal backing for future operations of both the railways and roads.
In addition, South Korean officials at the meeting said Seoul will pay for the building of train stations on the northern side as well as provide other forms of assistance.
``Once trains start making test runs on the railway linking the two countries in October, full railway services could take place by the end of the year,’’ said a government official.
He added it is significant that the roads linking the two countries, which were completed in November of last year, will officially be launched.
The official also said the two sides agreed to meet whenever the need arises in Kaesong or at the North’s Mt. Kumgang to discuss details of opening the overland routes.
South Korea hopes the railways and roads will ultimately be connected to northern China, Mongolia and Europe, providing both Koreas with greater economic opportunities.