The Thai government has made a verbal commitment to supply four trains to Cambodia for a railway set to connect the neighbouring countries by early July, said Ly Borin, undersecretary of state at the Public Works and Transport Ministry and director of the Cambodia Railroad Renovation Plan.
The Thais promised that they will offer us four trains, but they have not declared it in writing yet. Via an oral promise, Thailand claimed that in late June or early July, they will send the trains to Cambodia, Borin said, adding that the Cambodia-Thailand railway, which was constructed in the 1960s, has not been operating since its disconnection in 1975.
According to Borin, the train route, which runs from Battambang to Banteay Meanchey before crossing over the border to Sa Kaeo province in Thailand, is expected to begin its test phase by early July.
Currently, Cambodia operates a railway linking Phnom Penh to Preah Sihanouk province, and a railway running from Phnom Penh to Pursat is still under construction.
Borin added that the prime ministers of both countries will travel the route together after the official launch of the test phase.
ออกญา Kith Meng ประธานบริษัท Royal Group of Cambodia ลงนาม MOU กะ
China Railway 17th Bureau Group Co. และ Sino Great Wall International Engineering Co., Ltd, เมื่อบ่ายวันที่ 15 พฤษภาคม 2017 เพื่อ ลงทุน โครงการต่อไปนี้
New railways stretching from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, and to the Vietnamese border in the other direction, are to be built under new plans with backing from two Chinese companies.
Improvements to Cambodias existing tracks will also be undertaken after China Railway 17 Bureau Group and Sino Great Wall International Engineering committed to assisting with the construction and funding of the projects.
Kith Meng, chairman of local conglomerate Royal Group, signed a memorandum of understanding with the two firms during a visit to Beijing for a summit on Chinas Belt and Road initiative, according to a copy of the agreement posted to the government-aligned Fresh News website.
The three companies agreed to cooperate in the construction and investment of the railways of Cambodia and will continue discussing details of the developments, it says.
Along with the new rail routes from Phnom Penh, a high-speed railway will be built to supplement the existing route from the capital to Sihanoukville, the agreement says. Renovations to the countrys two existing tracks would also be considered, including completion of a route between Phnom Penh and the Thai border, the document says. No details of the cost, timeline or role of each company are outlined in the agreement.
John Guiry, CEO of Royal Railways, a subsidiary company of Royal Group, confirmed the signing on Tuesday, but said details were not yet ironed out.
There is a lot of work to be done, he said. Cambodia is known for its high transportation costs, he said, leaving plenty of room for improvement in low-cost options like railways.
Its always cheaper, Mr. Guiry said, adding that he was extremely excited about the potential of the project. More details may be provided upon Mr. Mengs return from China, he added.
Chan Samleng, director of the Transport Ministrys railways department, said he had not received word of the new agreement, but that studies of the potential railway projects had already been conducted by other companies.
China is Cambodias largest foreign investor, with both the public and private sector pouring billions of dollars into infrastructure developments in the country.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum