Rail link to Thailand to open early next year

Cambodia and Thailand are set to hold a ceremony early next year to celebrate the official opening of the line that will connect Phnom Penh and Bangkok, a representative of the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MPWT) said yesterday. The new railway will link the two capitals via Poipet city, which shares the border with Aranyaprathet in Thailand. The agreement on railway transportation between the two nations is being drafted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation after several years of negotiations by parties involved, said Ly Borin, an undersecretary of state at the MPWT. He added that the agreement will be signed before the end of 2017. However, Borin noted that Cambodia still has to lay down one more kilometer of line, while discussions over customs duties at the border have not concluded either. The new railway is said to play a key role in improving infrastructure, which will help the countries reach their trade goal of $15bn in cross-border trade by 2020. (Source: Khmer Times)