The much-delayed railway linking Thailand and Cambodia could be only two months away.

That’s the verdict of Thailand Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, as quoted in Bangkok Post today.

"The goal is to deliver the train by either next month or July,” said Arkhom. “The number of trains that will service the route has not yet been finalized.”

While the eventual goal is to connect the two capitals of Bangkok and Phnom Penh, the initial phase will see one of Thailand's older diesel-powered trains connect Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo province in Thailand with Poipet in Western Cambodia.

The passenger train will have three carriages, Arkhom said.

Currently, the State Railway of Thailand operates two daily passenger services between Bangkok and Aranyaprathet near the Cambodian border.

The transnational Thailand-Cambodian railway has previously been slated to open as far back as 2016, but has been held back by ongoing restoration of Cambodia’s war-damaged Western rail line and negotiation over technical aspects between the two countries.

Image: Aranyaprathet Railway Station by Clay Gilliland via Wikimedia Commons

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