Ha Noi hosts 36th ASEAN Railway CEO's Conference

The 36th ASEAN Railway CEOs' Conference kicked off in Ha Noi yesterday.

The 36th ASEAN Railway CEOs' Conference kicked off in Ha Noi yesterday.

About 200 railway industry delegates from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam joined the three-day event, alongside representatives from the International Union of Railways and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

Addressing the conference, Vietnamese Deputy Transport Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong stressed the important role of railways in transport and fostering economic growth, especially once the ASEAN Economic Community is formed in 2015.

The conference provided an opportunity for leaders of the region's railway sector to devise joint development plans and consolidate their co-operation in order to create a united and prosperous ASEAN Community, Dong said.

Chairman of the Vietnam Railways Corporation (VRC) Tran Ngoc Thanh affirmed the VRC's willingness to learn from the experience of other countries when it came to implementing restructuring measures.

Representatives from Malaysia and Cambodia suggested the railway system be run by the private sector, while the State should be responsible for investments in infrastructure development and maintenance. — VNS