Transportation in Bhutan
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Railways:
0 km International Railway Journal of March 2005 reports that Bhutan and India have signed a MOU to connect Bhutan with the Indian Railways network.
Highways:
total:
3,285 km
paved:
1,994 km
unpaved:
1,291 km (1996 est.)
<p>There is one main East-West highway from Phuentsholing on the SW Indian border to Trashigang in the far east, with spurs to other main centres. The (badly) paved surface is usually one lane wide, with gravel shoulders for passing. Safety barriers, road markings and signage are sparse. Road accidents are frequent and, because of the mountainous topography, occasionally horrific. A two lane expressway is being constructed between Thimphu, the capital, and Paro airport. Roads in Western Bhutan are maintained under contract by DANTAK, an Indian Army engineering division, and in the rest of the country by the Department of Roads.
<p>Because much of the geology is unstable, there are frequent slips and landslides, particularly during the summer monsoon and as a result of frost action in winter. An international aid project is under way to stabilise the worst of these areas. There are a number of high passes on the East-West highway, the highest, in central Bhutan, being Trumshing La at over 3000m. A Japanese aid project is replacing most of the narrow one-way bridges with two-way girder spans capable of carrying heavy traffic.
<p>Most produce is moved on eight-ton 300hp Tata trucks, which are often overloaded. There is a network of passenger buses, and the most common vehicle in Government and private use is the 4WD pickup. A national driver licensing system includes a driving test, but this is not rigorous. Government drivers are trained at the Samthang Vocational Training Institute driving school (formerly the National Driving Training Institute) or they learn on the job as 'handy boys'.
<p>Ports and harbors:
none
<p>Airports:
2 (1999 est.)
<p>Airports - with paved runways:
total:
1
1,986 m:
<p> The single runway at Paro is located in a steep-sided valley with restricted VFR approaches. During the monsoon season, flights are often delayed by cloud cover. Royal Druk Air is the national carrier, connecting Paro to Bangkok (Thailand), Yangon (Myanmar), Dacca (Bangladesh), Kolkatta and Delhi (India), Karachi (Pakistan) and Katmandhu (Nepal). The airline replaced its two aging BA146 four-engined jets in 2004 with faster and more capacious Airbus 312 twin-jets.
<p>Airports - with unpaved runways:
total:
1
914 to 1,523 m:
1 (1999 est.)
<p>Stoplights:
total:
0 (Original stoplight installed in Thimphu has been dismantled - there are recent reports of plans to reinstate it.)
Reference
The statistics in this article were originally adapted from the CIA World Factbook 2000.
- See also : Bhutan