Cambodia-Thai railway links connected on 22 April

• 22 April 2019
• Local News
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The heads of the governments of Cambodia and Thailand presided over the inaugurations of the rail line connection and Stung Bot-Ban Nong Ing Friendship Bridge on Monday 22 April, infrastructure developments that will boost trade and facilitate ease of travel.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia and his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan O-cha together inaugurated the friendship bridge and took the train over the border to mark the official inauguration of the connection of the rail line between the two countries, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation.

Agreement on cross-border transportation by train was signed at the inauguration ceremony. The hand-over ceremony of a four-carriage-diesel-powered train also took place during the event and the prime ministers, along with high ranking officials from the two sides, took the train from the Thai side to Cambodia’s Poipet station.

Thailand said that giving a diesel-powered train to Cambodia is a symbolic gesture of cooperation between the two countries.

The diesel-powered train, capable of carrying 320 passengers, arrived in Poipet station on Friday for technical checks for the official inauguration on Monday next week.

Sin Chanthy, president of the Cambodia Freight Forwarders Association, said that the opening of more border gates and cross-border transportation will greatly facilitate trade activities.

“We’ve wanted that border gate for a long time and to date, we have used the Poipet international border as a gateway to transport goods and tourists also pass through that gate. Now we have new gate which ensures cargo transportation,” Mr Chanthy said. “We have also needed the rail line connection because we want to reduce traffic flow of transporting goods.”

The building and restoration of Cambodia’s western railway was finished in August 2018 after being damaged for decades after the civil war. The western railway stretches over 386km, linking the capital Phnom Penh to Poipet city which shares a border with Sa Kaeo’s Aranyaprathet district in Thailand.

Currently, the operation of Cambodia’s western railway has been placed under the management of Royal Railway, a subsidiary of Royal Group, though the contract will soon go to public tender.

With the operation of the cross-border railway, the governments of the two countries expect that it will contribute to boosting bilateral trade.

Sun Chanthol, Minister of Public Works and Transportation, said recently that the rail line connection with Thailand will facilitate tourists, particularly Cambodian people to travel from Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville to Bangkok and beyond to Malaysia and Singapore on train. (Read more)

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