Bianjie

[journey]

Gemun to become connected with Xsampa via new railway project between two nations
Bianjie officially began the construction of the railway network line from Gemun directly to the Xsampan capital city, Metz-Leonid, as a part of the Xsa-Bia Railway project, announced by both governments previously.
4 November 5635



Today marks the first day of building what will essentially become a new international railway line linking the capitals of two neighbouring nations. Dubbed as Xsa-Bia Railway (XBR), the project was the subject of interstate negotiations for several months, which helped bring the two nations closer than ever before, first, with Xsampan investment in Kibōjūtaku, now in a XBR being agreed upon and realised in the next couple of years. The project will serve as a tool to boost the cross-border trade, enhance mobility, and deepen diplomatic ties between the two neighboring nations.

"For us here, and I am sure for our colleagues in the west as well, this is not just some railway, it is a symbol of friendship, trust, and a shared ambition to keep our region stable and peaceful", said the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Huang Zou (SPP). "But, obviously, besides all the verbal positives this project will bring, it will also shorten travel times for our citizens, it will create jobs and open various opportunities for the markets, and most importantly, bring our people together, be it on the sunny coasts of Gemun, or beautiful mountains of Metz-Leonid".

Mayor of Gemun, Meiren Karnuk (SPP), called the project "a landmark investment in regional integration," adding that it demonstrates both countries’ commitment to sustainable and future-ready infrastructure. "We expect the XBR to reduce the freight costs by up to 30% and offer a viable alternative to existing, yet hardly accessible highway and road infrastructure", she said during a press event in Metz-Leonid.

And while the BDA was rather neutral in their public response to the announcement, even welcoming the project, but neither praising or criticising the government, the INP attacked the project and government for at all cooperating with Xsampa, whom Innovation Party leader, Yelu Nahata, called "dirty communists". "What are we even doing? Giving up our independence to a bunch of autocrats? This project threatens our industries and hands over too much leverage to a foreign state whose long-term goals are not aligned with our national interest."

According to the government's public calculations, in the best case scenario, the Xsa-Bia Railway is expected to be finished by the 5639. With mountains and other obstacles, be it earthquakes, fires or other natural occurences, infrastructure ministry expects the delay in the work even in the previously mentioned "best case scenario". The same report of the government concludes that the construction of this project will result in the travel time between Gemun and Xsampan capital city, Metz-Leonid to be up to 4 hours, compared to 7-8 hours of that on the cars through direct or indirect routes.



The Daily Report (日報), also known as Nippō, is a major daily newspaper based in Namušun, Bianjie.
The paper is published in Kunikata, Yingdalan and Luthorian in the broadsheet format, and is also available online.