PHNOM PENH, Feb. 18-(Kyodo), Cambodia began Monday restoring a 652-kilometer stretch of its decades-old railway system to enhance domestic and international trade, reduce transport costs and ease road traffic.
The $73 million rehabilitation project is expected to be completed in 23 months, according to Sun Chanthol, Cambodia's minister of Public Works and Transportation.
Of the outlay, the Asian Development Bank has provided $42 million in concessional loans, $13 million came from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries as a grant, $2.8 million from Malaysia for iron materials and $15.2 million from the Cambodian government, he said.
The launch was presided over by Prime Minister Hun Sen and Haruhiko Kuroda, president of the ADB.
"This is one of the last steps in the creation of a regional railway that will stretch from Singapore to Beijing," Kuroda said at the inauguration ceremony in Sisophon near Cambodia's border with Thailand. "Soon, trains will be running from Singapore to Sihanoukville."
The project will rehabilitate two existing railways, 386 km from Phnom Penh to Poipet on the border with Thailand and another 266 km from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville on the southwest coast.
The two routes were built in 1931 and 1960, respectively.
Railway services in Cambodia are now intermittent and unofficial trolleys with bamboo floors operate along portions of the railway.
The new project will rehabilitate 604 km of track and reconstruct another 48 km near the Thai border that was destroyed during wartime.
A statement by the ADB said in addition to supporting the repair of tracks and bridges, the bank is providing technical assistance to Cambodia to restructure the railway by appointing an international railway firm to operate, maintain and invest in the railway over the next 30 years.
"Investing in rail upgrade, maintenance, and better service delivery will help revitalize Cambodia's railways, enhance internal commerce and international trade, reduce transport costs, and ease road traffic," the ADB said.
The railway project is a vital component of the Greater Mekong Subregion's southern corridor that links Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Sun Chanthol said that once rehabilitation is completed, trains will operate with a speed of at least 50 km per hour.
Currently, Cambodian trains operate at speeds as low as 15 kmph.
The $73 million rehabilitation project is expected to be completed in 23 months, according to Sun Chanthol, Cambodia's minister of Public Works and Transportation.
Of the outlay, the Asian Development Bank has provided $42 million in concessional loans, $13 million came from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries as a grant, $2.8 million from Malaysia for iron materials and $15.2 million from the Cambodian government, he said.
The launch was presided over by Prime Minister Hun Sen and Haruhiko Kuroda, president of the ADB.
"This is one of the last steps in the creation of a regional railway that will stretch from Singapore to Beijing," Kuroda said at the inauguration ceremony in Sisophon near Cambodia's border with Thailand. "Soon, trains will be running from Singapore to Sihanoukville."
The project will rehabilitate two existing railways, 386 km from Phnom Penh to Poipet on the border with Thailand and another 266 km from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville on the southwest coast.
The two routes were built in 1931 and 1960, respectively.
Railway services in Cambodia are now intermittent and unofficial trolleys with bamboo floors operate along portions of the railway.
The new project will rehabilitate 604 km of track and reconstruct another 48 km near the Thai border that was destroyed during wartime.
A statement by the ADB said in addition to supporting the repair of tracks and bridges, the bank is providing technical assistance to Cambodia to restructure the railway by appointing an international railway firm to operate, maintain and invest in the railway over the next 30 years.
"Investing in rail upgrade, maintenance, and better service delivery will help revitalize Cambodia's railways, enhance internal commerce and international trade, reduce transport costs, and ease road traffic," the ADB said.
The railway project is a vital component of the Greater Mekong Subregion's southern corridor that links Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Sun Chanthol said that once rehabilitation is completed, trains will operate with a speed of at least 50 km per hour.
Currently, Cambodian trains operate at speeds as low as 15 kmph.
2 comments:
From Vietnam to Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Signgapore, Korea to China we will travel on Train. A great day will come for Cambodia.
i hope, france, germany and japan can help with this refurbishment of cambodian railways as well, especially with their expertise as these countries are well-known for their advance technology in railway services.
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