The Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Chinese government have established a technical team who will assess the feasibility of the construction of a Phnom Penh-Poipet high-speed railway project.

The Chinese side, which provided a detailed explanation of the strategy and an action plan for the project, said the establishment of the team was a priority.

Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol agreed to the appointment of leaders and specialists from the appropriate government institutions.

Discussions about the project took place between Chanthol and a delegation led by Zhang Zhiqing, vice chairman of the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission, on March 23 at the ministry headquarters.

The public works ministry announced that Chanthol had also introduced three major projects to the delegation, and suggested they look into the possibility of financing them.

The three projects are the rebuilding of a stretch of National Road 3 from Veal Rinh to Trapang Ropov, which was studied by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), a project to widen a stretch of National Road 6 from the new Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport to Siem Reap Town, planned by Shanghai Construction Group Co.,Ltd, and the linked Bassac River Navigation and Logistics System (“BRNLS”) project, studied by CCCC Water Transportation Consultants Co., Ltd.

The post quoted Zhiqing as saying the two road widening projects were under consideration, while further in-depth study of the BRNLS canal was required.