Cambodian rail delays, cost blowouts: leaked report

Updated 18 June 2012, 

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Australia's Fairfax media has obtained a leaked official report into a troubled and controversial Cambodian rail project being funded by AusAID and the Asian Development Bank.

Cambodian rail delays, cost blowouts: leaked report (Credit: ABC) 

The report outlines poor construction, botched surveys leading to the evictions of families, infighting between contractors, delays and cost overruns.

The $143 million Rail Rehabilitation Project is to rehabilitate or build 641 kilometres of track, with the aim of integrating Cambodia with a regional network including Vietnam and Thailand.

But it has also attracted criticism by NGOs who say the project has dealt poorly with displaced communities who were living alongside the tracks.

Presenter: Liam Cochrane

Speaker: Nora Lindstrom, Progarmme Development Manager with Sahmakum Teang Tnaut