Are Phnom Penh's Skies Looking Dim?
- vaprosethnl
- Aug 8, 2024
- 2 min read
With a growing population, the need for accessible transportation grows more and more over the years. Private vehicle ownership (cars, motorbikes) has proved to be troublesome to both citizens’ livelihood and the environment with endless seas of traffic curdling around Phnom Penh. We have to wonder, what are the alternatives to Phnom Penh’s (lack of) transportation issue?
News of Skytrain studies conducted by the JICA (Japanese International Cooperation Agency) shows the estimated cost of building a train system to be around 1.8 million USD.
Looking at the case of a nearby city with a metro system, Bangkok:
Looking at the BTS Skytrain system of Bangkok, we can see with the daily ~700,000 passengers that this system is sure to be effective. This system, as well as the underground metro of Bangkok, serves as a convenient, cheap way of travel around the city for both locals and tourists.
Notably, former Prime Minister Hun Sen stated that the system (though still in very early development phases) will be prioritized by the Cambodian government to carry citizens not only around Phnom Penh, but also along the outskirts of the city to Kandal province (Khmer Times).
If there were to be the development of these rapid transit systems in Cambodia, it would sure to boost the nation through:
Attraction of foreign investment
Increase of property value
Increased employment opportunities
Increased productivity
Increased mobility and accessibility
Decrease in congestion
Energy efficiency
Increase in tourism
Though it may be a long while until the development of a fully functioning public transportation system, it shows that the country is ready to implement systems that help pedestrians rather than vehicles.
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