$500 million needed to link Cambodia to Vietnam?Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks at the ground breaking ceremony of a new railway at Serey Sophon town in Banthey Meachey province, 469km (291 miles) northwest of Phnom Penh, February 18, 2008. Cambodia launched on Monday a $73 million project for the restoration and reconstruction of over 600 km of railway track which will become part of the rail transportation route linking Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam to Kunming, China. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Railway gets a new life
18 Feb 2008
By Ky Soklim
Cambodge Soir
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
On Monday morning, the authorities have officially inaugurated the restoration site for a railroad line. The restoration will involve 552 km of railway, and will cost $73 million. The Asian Development Bank (ADB), OPEC, Malaysia, and the Cambodian government will finance this ambitious project.
Seriously damaged by the civil war, railways in the kingdom will find a new youth. On Monday 18 February, in the province of Banteay Meanchey, the government has officially proceeded to the launch of the restoration work for a portion of the network, covering a distance of 552 km. These railways will connect Phnom Penh to Poipet (386 km) and Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville (266 km). The restoration of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville line will take 23 months, whereas the Phnom Penh-Poipet line will take 22 months.
The total cost will be $73 million. The Cambodian government will finance $15.2 million, the ADB $42 million, OPEC $13 million, and Malaysia $2.8 million. Haruhiko Kuroda, ADB president, is satisfied about this project: “This even shows the importance of the government policy for the return to prosperity in the kingdom.”
The Australian company Toll Holding obtained a 32-year concession for the railway network in Cambodia [KI-Media: Could this explain the presence of Kith Meng at the inauguration?]. A French-Belgium-Thai consortium will take care of the restoration project. The authorities hope that these improvements will lead to development of the transport of goods.
“The railways play an important role in the trade between our country and Thailand. They are of main importance as part of the trans-border railroad system,” Sun Chanthol, the minister of public works and transport, explained. This line will link, in 2015, Singapore to Kunming in China, crossing Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma and Laos. Hun Sen took care to remind during the inauguration that: “$500 million is needed to build the railway line between Cambodia and Vietnam.”
Seriously damaged by the civil war, railways in the kingdom will find a new youth. On Monday 18 February, in the province of Banteay Meanchey, the government has officially proceeded to the launch of the restoration work for a portion of the network, covering a distance of 552 km. These railways will connect Phnom Penh to Poipet (386 km) and Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville (266 km). The restoration of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville line will take 23 months, whereas the Phnom Penh-Poipet line will take 22 months.
The total cost will be $73 million. The Cambodian government will finance $15.2 million, the ADB $42 million, OPEC $13 million, and Malaysia $2.8 million. Haruhiko Kuroda, ADB president, is satisfied about this project: “This even shows the importance of the government policy for the return to prosperity in the kingdom.”
The Australian company Toll Holding obtained a 32-year concession for the railway network in Cambodia [KI-Media: Could this explain the presence of Kith Meng at the inauguration?]. A French-Belgium-Thai consortium will take care of the restoration project. The authorities hope that these improvements will lead to development of the transport of goods.
“The railways play an important role in the trade between our country and Thailand. They are of main importance as part of the trans-border railroad system,” Sun Chanthol, the minister of public works and transport, explained. This line will link, in 2015, Singapore to Kunming in China, crossing Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma and Laos. Hun Sen took care to remind during the inauguration that: “$500 million is needed to build the railway line between Cambodia and Vietnam.”
