On February 14, 2017, His Excellency Senior Minister Sun Chanthol, Minister of Public Works and Transport, sat down for an interview with TNN24 News Channel regarding the current Ministry's plans and connectivity as well as the future of transportation in Cambodia.
The Minister elaborated on how important the road and other main infrastructures are for the country’s economic development, in terms of trade, commercial, tourism and integration of the people. He used as an analogy the veins of a person that connects the whole body. For instance, two expressways are under development consideration; moreover, the Southern Line railway has been upgraded and is currently in operation, and the railway link between Cambodia and Thailand are now being connected.
The Minister also noted that the Ministry is working on providing passenger train service between Phnom Penh International Airport and the city center. Inland waterway transport, along Mekong, Tonle Sap and Bassac River, is another focus the government is pushing forward.
For the past 20 years, Cambodian GDP growth, at an average of 7%, indicates that the overall infrastructure of the country has improved tremendously; allowing the country to better move people and goods. But we still need to continue upgrading the existing roads and build new roads.
With the current plan to expand the deep-sea port at Sihanoukville, and enlarging Phnom Penh’s Autonomous Port, the Minister stressed that cutting down the cost of logistics in order to be competitive and attract Foreign Direct Investment is crucial for the country’s economy to continue its rapid growth.
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