The Ho Chi Minh City–Phnom Penh railway is a proposed railway between Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The railway is envisioned to complete the missing link on the eastern line of the Kunming–Singapore railway.
| Ho Chi Minh City–Phnom Penh railway | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Planned |
| Locale | Vietnam, Cambodia |
| Termini |
|
| Service | |
| Type | Heavy rail |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 250 km (160 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge (expected) |
Despite both Cambodia and Vietnam being both part of French Indochina, the railway was never built during colonial times. Plans to connect Cambodia and Vietnam by rail was first mooted in 2009, to which the Cambodian government and China Railway Group launched a feasibility technical study to build a railway between Phnom Penh and Snuol, close to the Vietnamese city of Loc Ninh where it would connect to the Saigon–Lộc Ninh railway. [1][2] During the 17th ASEAN Summit in October 2010, China voiced support for the railway. [3] As late as 2015, the railway was planned but still not built, with other railway lines in Cambodia given higher priority. [4]
In 2018, the transport ministers of Cambodia and Vietnam have agreed to build a railway between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City, but this time passing through the border town of Bavet where the Vietnam-Cambodia international crossing is located. [5][6][7] The agreement was renewed in 2020. [8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Luke Hunt (2009-08-18). "Plans for Trans-Asia Railway snagged at Mekong crossing". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ Luke Hunt (2009-09-01). "Cambodian leg a bridge too far for Trans-Asia Railway". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ Vong Sokheng (2010-10-31). "China to bridge missing rail link". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ Ros Chanveasna (2015-01-20). "Proposed Rail Link to Vietnam Under Study". Khmer Times. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ Minh Minh (2018-02-08). "Rail link planned between Ho Chi Minh City and Cambodia's casino kingdom". VN Express International. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ Stephen Chin (2018-07-14). "Trans-Asian Railway chugs closer to becoming a reality". The ASEAN Post. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ^ ADB consultants' report
- ^ Thou Vireak (2020-10-05). "Phnom Penh to HCMC rail studied". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 2021-09-06.