OREANDA-NEWS. An International Consortium will be formed to link the Trans-Siberian and Trans-Korean Main Lines. During his visit to Japan, Vladimir Yakunin, President of Russian Railways, met senior management of the East Japan Railways and Central Japan Railways and with Japanese freight dispatchers. Yakunin also held negotiations with the Japanese Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Foreign Trade, reported the press-centre of  Russian Railways. “In order to implement the project to link the link Trans-Siberian and Trans-Korean Main Lines, we envisage creating an international consortium to link with the participation of freight dispatchers from a series of counties, including, possibility, South Korea, Italy, Germany and Japan,” said Yakunin.


According to Yakunin, this year will see the reconstruction of the section of the railway line between Radjin in North Korea and Khasan in Russia, which will link the Trans-Siberian and Trans-Korean. “North Korea’s railways need full modernisation at a cost of at least USD2 billion, although a figure of USD7 billion is more realistic, while the work itself will last between 5 and 7 years,” said Yakunin. Russian Railways has already completed preparatory work regarding the track and rolling stock.