The government of Cambodia says it wants an underground metro instead of a Bangkok-style elevated railway for a future mass transit system in Phnom Penh.
“Now the need for the subway is clear, and is a real possibility – not the sky train, as reported,” Prime Minister Hun Sen told media Wednesday, reports the Khmer Times.
He said would cost around $1.8bn and run as far as Kandal, the province that surrounds Phnom Penh. He added that it would be carried out by the many Cambodian engineers who have studied abroad.
At present, the city’s 2.3 million people rely on buses, taxis and ride-hailing apps.
Various transport schemes have been proposed over the past 15 years, including sky trains, subways, light rail, and monorails.
Feasibility studies into elevated rail, monorail and subway systems have been undertaken by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the China Road and Bridge construction companyy.
Last April, Cambodia’s public works ministry asked the Asian Development Bank to help devise strategies for monorail and subway projects.
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