Cambodia and Thailand reconnected their railroad networks on Monday after 45 years to facilitate cross-border trade and transport.

Cambodian Premier Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha opened the 6.4-kilometer track and rode a train from Klong Luek station in Thailand to the Cambodian town of Poipet, reports said. They also inaugurated Stung Bot-Ban Nong Ian Friendship Bridge, which will make it easier to transport cargo between the two countries.

At the ceremony, Prime Minister Hun Sen said the rail link will help improve connectivity in the Greater Mekong Subregion and with other Southeast Asian neighbors. The new bridge will also help boost trade and tourism in the subregion by making it easier to transport people and cargo.

Daily rail services between the two countries were suspended in 1974. Cambodia restored last year the railway from its capital Phnom Penh to Poipet, which was damaged during the civil war.

Read the full article from Khmer Times.