Rail transport in Cambodia

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Railway transport in Cambodia
Phnom Penh railway station in 2009
Operation
National railwayRoyal Railway[1]
System length
Total612 kilometres (380 mi)
Track gauge
Main1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Map
Legend
 Eastern Line (Thailand)
Thai-Cambodia border
Poipet
Serei Sophon
Mongkol Borei
Phnom Touch
Thmor Kor
Battambang
 Phnom Thiphdei
Maung Russey
Moeung Khnar
Tropang Chorng
Pursat
Kamreng
Bomnak
Kdol
Kraing Skea
Romeas
Mea Nork
Tbeng Khpos
Batdeng
Phnom Penh International Airport
Samrong
Phnom Penh
Takeo
Touk Meas
Damnak Chang'aeur
Kep
Kampot
Veal Renh
Prey Nob
Sihanoukville

metre gauge rail network, consisting of two lines: one from the capital, Phnom Penh, to Sihanoukville, and another from Phnom Penh to Poipet, on the Thai border. The lines were originally constructed during the time when the country was part of French Indochina, 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, Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), and the Australian company Toll Holdings, freight and limited passenger service returned between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville by 2016,[2] and passenger service between Phnom Penh and Poipet was fully restored in 2019.[3]

History

French colonial era

Main article: Phnom Krom railway

Before the Phnom Penh – Poipet railway was built in the 1930s, a 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) railway line connecting

Sisophon area from Thailand on 17 December 1946, as Thailand was seen as a supporter of Khmer Issarak
, the anti-French, Khmer nationalist political movement.

Route[4]

Sisophon – Poipet

Late 20th century

In 1955

Guerrilla
activities, however, continued to disrupt service.

21st century

Railway Station – Phnom Penh 2012
Sisophon
railway, as seen in 2012
bamboo trains
)
Opening in April 2016

By 2008 the service between

Phnom Penh Post 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.[7]
The last regular rail service in Cambodia between Phnom Penh and Battambang was suspended entirely in early 2009.

In June 2009, Australian business

AusAID and Asian Development Bank
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.

deep water port at Sihanoukville was also scheduled to be reopened in 2011.[13] 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.[14][15]

In June 2012, Cambodia discussed with China on funding for a 250-kilometre stretch of rail line between Cambodia and Vietnam.[10] 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.[10] In 2013, China Railway Group planned to build a 405 km (252 mi) north–south railway across Cambodia, which would support planned expansion of the steel industry in Cambodia.[16]

The line between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville opened to travellers on 9 April 2016, after having been suspended for 14 years.[17][18][19] 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.[20]

It was announced in March 2018 that the line from

Bavet at the Vietnamese border, with an eventual plan to connect to the Vietnamese railway network at Ho Chi Minh City.[23]

In May 2019, by request of the Prime Minister,

China Railway Construction Corporation arrived in Cambodia to conduct feasibility studies on railway upgrades, including bridge and track repairs, double tracking, electrification, Phnom Penh–Stung Treng–Siem Reap railway and urban rail system (light rail and metro) in Phnom Penh.[14]

On 30 January 2023, the Cambodian government announced plans to build three high-speed rail lines connecting Phnom Penh to the country's borders to promote a more diversified transportation sector, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

In July 2023, the commissioning of a new link between Cambodia and Thailand was announced.[24] Transport experts hail the recent railway link between Cambodia and Thailand as a significant development that will boost travel, tourism and freight transport, benefiting both countries’ economies.

Sin Chanthy, president of the Cambodia Logistics Association (CLA), announced the news of the formal connectivity on 26 July, highlighting its potential as a vital logistics transport line for ASEAN and China.

Planned High Speed Rail by the Cambodian Government, 2023

The 3 railways are:

  • Phnom Penh–Sihanoukville railway using the existing Phnom Penh-Poipet-Banteay Meanchey railway;
  • Phnom Penh–Poipet high-speed railway is estimated at $4 billion and the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is given the rights to conduct a feasibility study on the project. The project will take about four years to build;
  • Phnom Penh–Bavet City high speed railway is also in its plan to be built.[25]

Statistics

Historical

Royal Cambodian Railways[26]
  • Date: c. 1956
  • Route: Connections with railways in Thailand and Vietnam
  • Gauge: 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
  • Route length: 242 miles
  • Locomotives: 23 – it appears that 19 of these still exist and one (RRC No. 231-501 4-6-2) is operational[27]

Rolling stocks

diesel engines.[29] Ten second hand Indian YDM4 locomotives are also present in the fleet.[30]

As of 2023, Cambodian Railways also operate a fleet of ex-

Japan Railways and ex-Taiwan Railways rolling stocks[31]

Railway links with adjacent countries

  • Thailand Thailand – yes – same gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
  • Laos Laos – indirectly via Thailand 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
  • Vietnam Vietnam – no – planned – same gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)

Timeline

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2012

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

2014

  • 25 July a ground-breaking ceremony was held in Poipet as work to reinstate the cross-border railway to Thailand was begun.[36]

2015

  • August work is expected to begin on rehabilitation of the line between Phnom Penh and Sisophon.[37]

2016

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

2018

  • 4 April – Opening of the line between Poipet and Sisophon
  • 29 April – Extension of service from Sisophon to Battambang
  • 29 May – Extension of service from Battambang to Pursat
  • 4 July – Extension of service from Pursat to Phnom Penh
Ban Klong Luk Border railway station (2019)

2019

  • 22 April – Resumption of cross-border rail service between Poipet and Aranyaprathet. However, only freight traffic.[3]

2020

  • (unknown) – Indefinite suspension of cross-border rail service at Poipet, due to COVID-19.[38]
  • (unknown) – Permanent closure of Airport rail shuttle.[39]
  • (October) – Feasibility study underway for
    Bavet.[23]

2023

Bamboo railway

Main article: Norry
Bamboo train (Norry) station near Battambang

The "

electricity generators, or from water pumps[13] Power is transmitted by belt and pulley. 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.[42]

See also

References

  1. ^ Royal Railway (Cambodia)
  2. ^ "Option 1: Train". Gecko Routes. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Cambodia and Thailand reconnected by rail after 45 years". The Straits Times. 22 April 2019.
  4. ^ Oxford World Atlas, Oxford University Press, 1973, page 65
  5. ^ [1] The Central Queensland Herald, Rolling Stock: Australian Gift to Cambodia, 11 August 2012
  6. ^ Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, March 1960 pp39-40
  7. ^ a b Ailing railway set for upgrade. The Phnom Penh Post, 29 October 2008.
  8. ^ a b Cambodian rail concession signed Archived 23 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine Railway Gazette International, 12 June 2009
  9. ^ "Transport boost for South East Asian tourism". The Independent. London. 17 December 2009.
  10. ^ a b c Rann, Reuy (13 June 2012). "China may fund Cambodia-Vietnam rail". The Phnom Penh Post. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  11. ^ Philip Heijmans, and Tom Hyland. "Planning failure derails aid project". The Age. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  12. ABC Asia Pacific. Archived from the original
    on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  13. ^ a b c "Rail revival to replace Cambodia's bamboo trains". Railway Gazette International. 22 October 2010.
  14. ^ a b Amarthalingam, Sangeetha (16 May 2019). "Royal Railway on track to modernisation". Capital Cambodia. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  15. ^ Toll Group pulls out of Cambodia International Railway Journal February 2015 page 6
  16. ^ "Railway planned to link steel plant and port". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  17. ^ "Royal Railways (Cambodia)". royal-railway.com.
  18. ^ Maierbrugger, Arno (28 March 2016). "Passenger trains revived in Cambodia after 14-year-hiatus | Investvine". Investvine. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  19. ^ Peter Ford (5 June 2016). "Cambodia revives train service between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville". The Guardian.
  20. ^ Siv Meng (12 January 2017). "Poipet railway works face setbacks".
  21. ^ "Register". Retrieved 13 August 2023 – via Facebook.
  22. ^ Kimsay, Hor (30 April 2018). "Service opens on restored rails connecting Battambang, Banteay Meanchey". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  23. ^ a b Thou Vireak (5 October 2020). "Phnom Penh to HCMC rail studied". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  24. ^ "Cambodia, Thailand on track with new railway connectivity". Railpage. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  25. ^ Chea Vanyuth (30 January 2023). "Three high-speed rails to diversify transportation". Khmer Times.
  26. ^ Sampson, H. (General Editor), The Dumpy Book of Railways of the World, Sampson Low, London, c. 1956, page 171
  27. ^ "Steam Locomotive Information". steamlocomotive.info.
  28. ^ "CSR Qishuyan Locomotive Co., LTD.--Locomotive,Diesel Engine,Main Locomotive Components,Forging and Casting Parts,Locomotive Repair,jiangsu,changzhou，Qishuyan，CSR……". Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  29. ^ "Quality CKD6D Meter Gauge Diesel Locomotive for sale from product (35299230) of reliable China CKD6D Meter Gauge Diesel Locomotive supplier". biz.everychina.com.
  30. ^ "IRCON YDM4 6000 Series Locomotive • Royal Railway Cambodia • RailTravel Station". RailTravel Station. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  31. ^ Is This The World's WORST Train? Cambodian Railways / Phnom Penh to Battambang, retrieved 1 April 2023
  32. ^ "VietNamNet Bridge". Archived from the original on 18 June 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  33. ^ Intelligence Archived 9 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine Railway Gazette International April 2005
  34. ^ a b International Railway Journal December 2007 p4
  35. ^ Cambodia-Vietnam agreement brings Trans-Asian railway closer GoKunming, 10 November 2008
  36. ^ "Work starts to bridge Thailand – Cambodia missing link". Railway Gazette International. 28 July 2014.
  37. ^ "Government funds Phnom Penh – Sisophon rehabilitation". Railway Gazette International. 3 August 2015.
  38. ^ Ketngam, Sawat (25 June 2020). "No date for reopening of border at Aranyaprathet". Bangkok Post.
  39. ^ "[SUSPENDED] Royal Railway Phnom Penh Airport Shuttle Train | Book Cambodia Train Tickets, Cambodia Train Schedule & Online Booking | Phnom Penh, Pochentong, Phnom Penh International Airport (PNH/VDPP), អាកាសយានដ្ឋានអន្តរជាតិភ្នំពេញ, Aéroport International de Phnom Penh". RailTravel Station.
  40. ^ "ไทย-กัมพูชาเปิดขบวนรถไฟรอบปฐมฤกษ์ เส้นทางมาบตาพุด-คลองลึก-ปอยเปต-พนมเปญ". Manager Online. 27 July 2023.
  41. ^ "Cambodia, Thailand on track with new railway connectivity". Railpage. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  42. ^ De Launey, Guy (4 July 2006). "Cambodians ride 'bamboo railway'". BBC News.

External links

Media related to Rail transport in Cambodia at Wikimedia Commons

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