SA KAEO, July 25 — Thailand’s Transport Ministry and Cambodia’s Public Works and ir Transport Ministry will jointly lay the foundation stone for the reconstruction of rail bridge linking Khlong Leuk and Poi Pet, with an aim to connect the two borders’ economies.
Thai Transport Permanent Secretary Soithip Trisuddhi, and Cambodian Public Works and Transport Deputy Minister, Guang Sun together presided over the ceremony to lay the foundation stone for reconstruction of the Khlong Leuk-Poi Pet railway bridge on the foundation of the old bridge, situated behind the Poi Pet Immigration Office in Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province.
Unused for 40 years, the historic bridge was built during the reign of King Rama VII, used for transportation and deliveries between the two neighbours.
But after civil war broke in Cambodia in the early 1970s, the Khlong Leuk-Poi Pet rail bridge was no longer used. Rail services stopped.
From that day onward, trains from Bangkok end at the Aranyaprathet station, six kilometres from the Khlong Leuk-Poi Pet rail bridge.
Later, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) allocated a fund of Bt2.808 billion for maintenance and repair of train stations from Chacheongsao province all the way to Khlong Luek rail bridge in Aranyaprathet province.
At the same time, the Italian-Thai Development Plc, has won the bidding for constructions of all the stations and rail bridge.
The transport ministry believes that once all repairs are completed, logistics and tourism between the two sides would greatly improve, while the rail bridge would also help to lessen traveling congesting through the Klong Leuk border.
