Seoul: North Korea and Russia will reopen a
cross-border railway in October after four years of work,
Pyongyang's official news agency said on Monday.
From that month freight trains will start running between
Russia's Far East city of Khasan and the port at Rason, the
North's northeastern free trade zone, the agency cited a top
railway official as saying.
Work on repairing the 54-kilometre line began in October
2008.
It will connect to the Trans-Siberian Railway and help
boost economic cooperation and relations between the two
countries, the agency said.
The cross-border rail link is part of Russia's efforts to
expand a foothold in the isolated nation. It is also building
a cargo terminal in the Rason zone, formerly known as Rajin
and Sonbong, which were two towns.
China has also been actively exploring investment
opportunities in Rason and plans to build a separate
cross-border rail link from Hunchun.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported in February
that China had agreed to invest about USD 3 billion in
developing Rason as an export base.
The impoverished North is striving to revitalise its
economy through foreign investment in Rason, which was
declared a special economic zone in 1991 but failed to
flourish. (AFP)
PTI
First Published: Monday, April 02, 2012, 16:23