RECONNECTED BY RAIL AFTER 45 YEARS
Cambodia, Thailand launch railway to cut travel time, boost trade
ARAILWAY reconnecting Cambodia and Thailand was officially inaugurated yesterday in a bid to slash travel times and boost trade between the southeast Asian neighbours.
Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen and his Thai counterpart, Prayuth Chan o Cha, witnessed a signing ceremony at a Thai border post before riding together here on a train donated by Thailand.
The pair stepped from the carriage here with their clasped hands held high to the cheers of waiting crowds, waving flags of both countries.
Hun Sen described their journey as “historic” and thanked
Thailand for its efforts “to reconnect the railway between Cambodia and Thailand”.
The railway would also better link his country to other southeast Asian neighbours and boost economy and trade, he added.
Bilateral trade between Thailand and Cambodia currently stands at US$6 billion (RM24.8 billion).
Cambodia last year re-opened the final stretch of a 370km-long railway running from the capital, Phnom Penh, to the Thai border.
The Asian Development Bank bankrolled the reconstruction of the link to the tune of US$13 million.
Much of Cambodia’s railways, built by the French in colonial times, were damaged by the years of conflict that engulfed the country during the Cold War era.
The 48km section of track near here was destroyed in 1973 while the rest of the track to Phnom Penh had been suspended for over a decade due to its poor condition.