A brand new railway line connecting Phnom Penh International Airport with the Monivong Boulevard railway station is scheduled to open on April 10, based on government and Royal Railway officials.
Hoeurn Somnieng, deputy director of cabinet on the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, said the project’s infrastructure was mostly accomplished, with only a couple of minor tasks remaining.
“This will reduce traffic congestion and travel time from the city center to the airport,” Somnieng said yesterday.
The service can be free for the primary two-and-a-half months before switching to a fare-based system, based on Royal Railways chief executive John Guiry, who declined to provide a future price but said it could be cheaper than a tuk-tuk or taxi.
“We’ll attempt to get loads of people to make use of it, see what it’s like and experience it,” Guiry said, adding that the 10-kilometer trip would take 22 to half-hour, lower than the typical tuk-tuk or automobile ride from town center it can take to the airport.
Imported from Mexico
Although the Royal Railways eventually plans to put in three locomotives imported from Mexico, delays within the procurement process have resulted in the corporate using two existing cars with a capability of 110 to 130 passengers. Once operations begin, cars will depart the station every 25 minutes, based on Guiry.
“We will run the test train for about three to four weeks, and then a train imported from Mexico will take over in late April or early May,” he said.
Source: Phnom Penh Post
