PHNOM PENH: Aside from the four draft laws passed by the Cambodian cabinet meeting yesterday, the government also issued an announcement urging the Ministry of Economy and Finance, as well as The Ministry of Public Works and Transport, to expedite the study of two new high-speed rail lines.

According to a press release issued on January 13, 2023, the meeting of the Council of Ministers reached a decision on the following draft laws:

1-Draft of the Public Financial System Law

2-Draft of the Clean Water Management Law

3-Draft of the land use policy for Sihanoukville’s transformation into a multi-purpose model special economic zone for 2022-2038.

4-Draft of the national policy for Cashew products for 2022-2027

5- Other concerns.

The high-speed rail project from Phnom Penh to Preah Sihanouk and the high-speed rail construction project from Phnom Penh to Banteay Meanchey (Poipet) are two priority rail development projects with growing demand.

The Cambodian government is accelerating this work due to the potential benefits of serving the transportation sector in rich transportation and promoting better national economic growth, most importantly increasing revenue and raising people’s living standards.

The railway in Cambodia is currently unable to run at high speeds within just 1 meter due to the width not complying with current international standards; in order to comply with international standards and run at a high speed, the railway must be expanded to 1.435 meters.

The average speed of Cambodia’s railroads is 60 kilometers per hour. Separately, it is only possible to run 90 kilometers per hour from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville.