Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

has of

metre gauge Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre. The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, la ...

rail network, consisting of two lines: one from the capital

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

to Sihanoukville, and another from Phnom Penh to

Poipet Poipet ( km, ប៉ោយប៉ែត, ) is a boomtown on the Cambodian- Thai border, in Poipet Municipality, Banteay Meanchey Province. It is a key crossing point between the two countries, and also extremely popular as a gambling des ...

on the Thai border. The lines were originally constructed during the time when the country was part of

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

, but due to neglect and damage from civil war during the latter half of the 20th century, the railways were in a dilapidated state and all services had been suspended by 2009. Through rehabilitation efforts by the Government of Cambodia, with funding from the

Asian Development Bank The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field office ...

, Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and Australian company

Toll Holdings The Toll Group is an Australian-based subsidiary of Japan Post Holdings with operations in transportation, warehousing and logistics in road, rail, sea and air. It has two divisions; Global Forwarding, Global Logistics. History In 1888, Al ...

, freight and limited passenger service returned between

and Sihanoukville by 2016, and passenger service between Phnom Penh and

was fully restored in 2019.

History

French colonial era

Before the Phnom Penh – Poipet railway was built in the 1930s, a railway line connecting

Phnom Krom Phnom Krom ( km, ភ្នំក្រោម, lit. "downstream hill") is a 140 m high hill close to Siem Reap city, Cambodia. There is a temple on the top which derived its name from the hill, Prasat Phnom Krom ( km, ប្រាសាទភ្ ...

with

Siem Reap Siem Reap ( km, សៀមរាប, ) is the second-largest city of Cambodia, as well as the capital and largest city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia. Siem Reap has French colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old F ...

was originally built by the French in the 1890s. The French colonial government built the first line, running from Phnom Penh to

on the Thai border, between 1930 and 1940, with

Phnom Penh Railway Station Phnom Penh Royal railway station (french: Gare de Phnom Penh) is a railway station in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It is located next to the University of Health Sciences and the National University of Management as well as the Canadian embassy. T ...

opening in 1932. The final connection with

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

was completed by Royal State Railways in 1942. However, the service from

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

Battambang Battambang ( km, បាត់ដំបង, UNGEGN: ) is the capital of Battambang Province and the third largest city in Cambodia. Founded in the 11th century by the Khmer Empire, Battambang is the leading rice-producing province of the coun ...

was suspended when the French Indochinese Government resumed sovereignty over Battambang and the

Sisophon Serei Saophoan ( km, សិរីសោភ័ណ, Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ; lit. 'Beautiful Freedom') is the capital and largest city of the Banteay Meanchey Province and the fourth most populous city in Cambodia. The city sep ...

area from Thailand on 17 December 1946, as Thailand was seen as a supporter of

Khmer Issarak The Khmer Issarak ( km, ខ្មែរឥស្សរៈ, or 'Independent Khmer') was a "loosely structured" anti- French and anti-colonial independence movement. The movement has been labelled as “amorphous”. The Issarak was ...

, the anti-French, Khmer nationalist political movement. ;Route

–

Pursat Pursat ( ; km, ពោធិ៍សាត់, ) is the capital of Pursat Province, Cambodia. Its name derived from a type of tree. It lies on the Pursat River The Pursat River ( km, ស្ទឹងពោធិ៍សាត់, Steung Pursat) al ...

–

Moung Ruessei Moung Ruessei is a small town and seat of Moung Ruessei District in Battambang Province, central-western Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country locate ...

–

Late 20th century

In 1955

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

donated rolling stock, described as "railway wagons of various types", worth at the time AUS£ 441,000 and "needed for new rail links." Assistance from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

, and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

between 1960 and 1969 supported the construction of the second line, which runs from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville on the southern coast to cut down the reliance on

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

Port of

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and

Khlong Toei Khlong Toei (also Klong Toey, th, คลองเตย, ) is a district in central Bangkok, long known for its slum. It is bordered by the Chao Phraya River and contains major port facilities. It is also the site of a major market, the Khlong ...

Port of Thailand. In 1960,

provided four third-class passenger carriages under the

Colombo Plan The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri L ...

. Rail service ceased during the war but resumed in the early 1980s. Guerrilla activities, however, continued to disrupt service.

21st century

By 2008 the service between

and

had been reduced from daily to weekly service due to the lack of funds to maintain the tracks and

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can b ...

. Even the new

diesel-electric locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conv ...

s from China could not run on the tracks due to the dilapidated condition. Derailing of trains in operation was not infrequent. As reported by the ''

Phnom Penh Post ''The Phnom Penh Post'' ( km, ភ្នំពេញប៉ុស្តិ៍, ) is a daily English-language newspaper published in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Founded in 1992 by publisher Michael Hayes and Kathleen O'Keefe, it is Cambodia's oldest En ...

'' in October 2008, the national railway earned merely $2 million per year; the annual freight amount stood at 350,000, and the passenger count at 500,000.Ailing railway set for upgrade.

The Phnom Penh Post ''The Phnom Penh Post'' ( km, ភ្នំពេញប៉ុស្តិ៍, ) is a daily English-language newspaper published in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Founded in 1992 by publisher Michael Hayes and Kathleen O'Keefe, it is Cambodia's oldest En ...

, 29 October 2008. The last regular rail service in Cambodia between Phnom Penh and Battambang was suspended entirely in early 2009. In June 2009, Australian business

was awarded the contract to begin reconstruction of Cambodia's rail network and to operate it once complete.Cambodian rail concession signed

Railway Gazette International ''Railway Gazette International'' is a monthly business magazine and news website covering the railway, metro, light rail and tram industries worldwide. Available by annual subscription, the magazine is read in over 140 countries by transport p ...

, 12 June 2009 It is envisioned that this line would reopen by mid-2013, together with the track further west to the Thai border, allowing for direct rail services into Cambodia from

for the first time in over 60 years. The Australian government and the

was said to spend $26 million to help rebuild Cambodia's rail system, the majority of the Northern and Southern lines in Cambodia. The project, if all up, would cost $143 million, with the disruption exposed in a report by the international consortium funding the $143 million project – Australia's international aid agency AusAID and the

. 641 kilometers of track will be rehabilitated with the aim of integrating Cambodia with the regional network such as Vietnam and Thailand; however, about 1,400 families who are living in shanty towns, have been affected and 1050 families have had to move. The report which was prepared by

AusAID Australian Aid is the brand name used to identify projects in developing countries supported by the Australian Government. As of 2014 the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has been responsible for Australia's official development ...

and

experts in April 2012 pointed out poor construction and botched surveys leading to evictions of families, infighting between contractors, delays and cost overruns. In March 2012, Toll said that it would suspend its involvement in the railway project due to delays, caused by lack of equipment, 2011's flood rains, and the resettlement of thousands of Cambodians. The line from Phnom Penh to the

deep water port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

at Sihanoukville was also scheduled to be reopened in 2011. However, the company came back in late July and said it will start transporting construction materials needed to build the southern line from 1 August. Toll Holdings sold its 55% stake in 2014 to Royal Group, with the company renamed Royal Railway Cambodia. In June 2012, Cambodia discussed with China on funding for a 250-kilometre stretch of rail line between Cambodia and Vietnam. Var Sim Sorya, director general of Ministry of Public Works and Transportation said: "China doesn’t have so many conditions, but Chinese technicians are still well-studied," he said yesterday at a workshop on infrastructure, although he did not specify which conditions were undesirable. In 2013,

China Railway Group China Railway Group Limited known as CREC (the acronym of its predecessor and parent company China Railway Engineering Corporation) is a Chinese construction company which floats in Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges. The major shareholder o ...

planned to build a north–south railway across Cambodia, which would support planned expansion of the steel industry in Cambodia. The line between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville opened to travellers on April 9, 2016, after having been suspended for 14 years. The line between the Thai border at Poipet and Battambang was under reconstruction as of 2017, with the remainder of the line between Battambang and Phnom Penh planned to be reconstructed at a cost of $150 million. It was announced in March 2018 that the line from

would begin operations on April 4, 2018. Subsequently, operations were further extended to

on 29 April, with plans to open the line to

on 29 May. It was also reported that new railway routes were being studied by private companies. In 2020, transport undersecretary of state Ly Borin announced a feasibility study of the

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

from Phnom Penh to Bavet at the Vietnamese border, with an eventual plan to connect to the Vietnamese railway network at

Ho Chi Minh City , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

. In May 2019, by request of the Prime Minister,

Hun Sen Hun Sen (; km, ហ៊ុន សែន, ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military commander who has served as the prime minister of Cambodia since 1985. He is the longest-serving head of government of Cambodia, and o ...

, a team from

China Railway Construction Corporation China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (abbreviated CRCC) is a listed construction enterprise based in Beijing, China, that was the second largest construction and engineering company in the world by revenue in 2014. The limited compan ...

arrived in Cambodia to conduct feasibility studies on railway upgrades, including bridge and track repairs,

double tracking Double tracking or doubling is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or bigger sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument. ...

electrification Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histor ...

, SisophonKampong Cham

high-speed railway High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, line ...

, Phnom PenhStung Treng railway and urban rail system ( light rail and

metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

) in Phnom Penh.

Statistics

Historical

;Royal Cambodian Railways * Date: c. 1956 * Route: Connections with railways in Thailand and Vietnam * Gauge: * Route length: 242 miles * Locomotives: 23 – it appears that 19 of these still exist and one (RRC No. 231-501

4-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The locomotiv ...

) is operational

Locomotives

CSR Qishuyan Locomotive Company of China has supplied

s of type CKD6D to Cambodia Royal Railway. These are 880 kW

Bo-Bo B-B and Bo-Bo are the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and British classifications of wheel arrangement for railway locomotives with four axles in two individual bogies. They are equivalent to the B′B′ and Bo′Bo′ classifications in ...

locomotives with

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

CAT3508B

diesel engines The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-calle ...

. Cambodia Royal Railway will purchase

diesel-hydraulic locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels ...

from INKA in November 2019.

Railway links with adjacent countries

– yes – same gauge *

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

– no – different gauge via China – indirectly via Thailand *

– no – planned – same gauge

Timeline

2006

* Trans-Asian Railway network planned - * Link proposed

Aranyaprathet Aranyaprathet (Thai: อรัญประเทศ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in Sa Kaeo province in eastern Thailand . It covers the entire ''tambon'' of Aranyaprathet, in Aranyaprathet district. As of 2005, the town has 16,937 inhabitant ...

* Malaysia offer to donate rails and sleepers to Cambodia, to help them complete the missing links, which would be of value to all countries in the vicinity. * 17 November 2006 – To complete a missing link in the

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...

rail route, Malaysia has donated rails to Cambodia which will be used to connect

(48 km). According to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy, the rail was lifted from the old Rawang-Ipoh section where a new electrified double line has been built. A link between Cambodia and Vietnam including a crossing of the

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annuall ...

is still required. The completed Singapore-Kunming line is expected to promote increased trade with China. * 16 December 2006 – The

is advancing a loan together with the donation in kind of rails from

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

will see restoration of the link with

2007

* ADB and

OPEC The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC, ) is a cartel of countries. Founded on 14 September 1960 in Baghdad by the first five members (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela), it has, since 1965, been headquart ...

agree to lend $80m for

link with completion in 2010.

International Railway Journal The ''International Railway Journal'' (IRJ) is a monthly international trade magazine published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing in Falmouth, England. History Founded by Robert Lewis and ''Railway Age'' editor Luther Miller as the world's first ...

December 2007 p4 * $500m is needed for another 254 km link from

to Lộc Ninh.

2008

* November, 2008 – agreement for Vietnam – Cambodia link * October–November: A 30-year agreement is prepared with Australia's

to upgrade the national railway system, restore the link from the present western railhead at

to the Thai railhead at

, and to construct a new 225-km line linking Cambodian railways to the Vietnamese railhead of Lộc Ninh. The renovation of the existing lines, to be carried out in 50 km segments, is expected to take 2–3 years. The link to Vietnam would involve construction of two major bridges: one across the Tonlé Sap River, and another across the

in Kampong Cham Province. The Cambodian government is hoping to get assistance from China to finance the project.

2009

* June 12

and Royal Group sign concession agreement.

2010

* October Touk Meas to

reopens for freight.

2012

* March

publicly announced that it would suspend its work for a year due to refurbishment delays. * August 1 the company started transporting construction materials to build the Southern line.

2014

* July 25 a ground-breaking ceremony was held in Poipet as work to reinstate the cross-border railway to Thailand was begun.

2015

* August work is expected to begin on rehabilitation of the line between Phnom Penh and Sisophon.

2016

* April 9 – Opening to travellers of the line Phnom Penh and the South (Sihanoukville, Kampot).

2018

* April 4 – Opening of the line between Poipet and Sisophon * April 29 – Extension of service from Sisophon to Battambang * May 29 – (scheduled) Extension of service from Battambang to Pursat * July 4 – Extension of service from Pursat to Phnom Penh

2019

* April 22 – Resumption of cross-border rail service between Poipet and Aranyaprathet. However, only freight traffic.

2020

* (unknown) – Indefinite suspension of cross-border rail service at Poipet, due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. * (unknown) – Permanent closure of Airport rail shuttle. * (October) – Feasibility study underway for

between Phnom Penh and Bavet.

Bamboo Railway

Bamboo train (Norry) station near Battambang in 2012

The Bamboo railway as it is known to overseas visitors, "norry" or "lorries" as it is known to locals, was a popular form of transport in the Northwestern area of the country near

. The trains consist of a

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

-covered platform and two detached

axle An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearing ...

s with wheels. They run on regular tracks and are powered with scavenged engines, such as

Briggs & Stratton Briggs & Stratton Corporation is an American manufacturer of gasoline engines with headquarters in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Engine production averages 10 million units per year as of April 2015. The company reports that it has 13 large facilit ...

type

air-cooled Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. In all combustion engines, a great percentage of the heat ge ...

gasoline engine A petrol engine (gasoline engine in American English) is an internal combustion engine designed to run on petrol (gasoline). Petrol engines can often be adapted to also run on fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and ethanol blends (such as ''E ...

s adapted from portable

electricity generator In electricity generation, a generator is a device that converts motive power (mechanical energy) or fuel-based power (chemical energy) into electric power for use in an external electrical circuit, circuit. Sources of mechanical energy include s ...

s, or from water pumps Power is transmitted by belt and

pulley A pulley is a wheel on an axle or shaft that is designed to support movement and change of direction of a taut cable or belt, or transfer of power between the shaft and cable or belt. In the case of a pulley supported by a frame or shell that ...

. Trains can reach up to 40 km/h. When meeting traffic in the opposite direction, passengers of the cart with fewer passengers are expected to lift the platform, engine, and axles of their cart off the tracks to let the other cart pass.

References

External links

Royal Railways (Cambodia) website

Toll Royal Railways – Cambodian rail operator

Railway map – Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia

Photos of Battambang railway station

Photos of Kampot railway station

Photo of Pursat railway station

Photo of Sisophon railway station

{{Asia topic, Rail transport in Metre gauge railways in Cambodia