Transport in Cambodia
The system of transport in Cambodia, rudimentary at the best of times, was severely damaged in the chaos that engulfed the nation in the latter half of the 20th century. The country's weak transport
Road transport
Highway network
- Total - 38,257 km (2004)
- Paved - 2,406 km (2004)
- Unpaved - 35,851 km (2004)
Of the current total roadway network, only about 50% of the roads and highways are hard surfaced, all-weather, and in good condition. About 50% of the roads were constructed of crushed stone, gravel, or compacted earth. Secondary roads are of unimproved earth or were little more than tracks. In 1981 Cambodia opened a newly repaired section of National Route 1 which runs southeast from Phnom Penh to the Vietnamese border. The road, which suffered damage during the war years, was restored most probably by Vietnamese army engineers.
In the late-1980s, Cambodia's road network was both underutilized and unable to meet even the modest demands placed upon it by a preindustrial
Cambodia is upgrading the main highways to international standards and most are vastly improved from 2006. Most main roads are now paved. And now road construction is on going from the Thailand border at Poipet to Siem Reap (Angkor Wat). Funded by over $3 billion of Chinese loans, Chinese companies have built 3,000 km (1,900 mi) of roads as well as several major bridges.[1]
An expressway network is being developed, the 190km Phnom Penh-Sikhanoukville expressway (E4) opened in October 2022, the construction to Bavet started in June 2023.[2]
Chart of 01/2014
National Highway | Code | Approx length | Origin | Terminus | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National Highway 1 | 10001 | 167.10 km | 103.83 mi | Phnom Penh | Bavet - Vietnam Border
|
National Highway 2 | 10002 | 120.60 km | 74.94 mi | Phnom Penh | Phnom Den - Vietnam Border |
National Highway 3 | 10003 | 202.00 km | 125.52 mi | Phnom Penh | Kampot - Veal Renh (NH4) |
National Highway 4 | 10004 | 226.00 km | 140.43 mi | Phnom Penh | Sihanoukville |
National Highway 5 | 10005 | 341.00 km | 211.89 mi | Phnom Penh | Battambang - Poipet - Thai Border |
National Highway 6A | 10006A | 76.00 km | 47.22 mi | Phnom Penh | Skuon |
National Highway 6 | 10006 | 416.00 km | 258.49 mi | Skuon | Sisophon (NH5 )
|
National Highway 7 | 10007 | 509.17 km | 316.38 mi | Skuon | Stung Treng - Laos Border |
National Highway 8 | 10008 | 105.00 km | 65.24 mi | NH6A - Prek Tamak Bridge | to NH7 near the Vietnam Border. |
Other transport
Motorcycles are by far the most common transport medium in Cambodia. "Cyclo" (as hand-me-down French) or cycle rickshaws were popular in the 1990s but are increasingly replaced by remorques (carriages attached to motorcycles) and rickshaws imported from India. Cyclos are unique to Cambodia in that the cyclist sits behind the passenger(s) seat, as opposed to cycle rickshaws in neighbouring countries where the cyclist is at the front and pulls the carriage. With 78% mobile phone penetration rate, ride-hailing apps have become popular in recent years. The first locally owned ride-hailing app, ExNet taxi app, was launched in 2016, after which another locally developed PassApp taxi was also introduced.[3]
The ExNet and PassApp use the same technology and architect for their application, except that ExNet is a taxi-based ride-hailing service while PassApp is more of rickshaw-based one. Uber and Grab joined the market in 2017. The entry and later merger of Uber and Grab did not negatively affect the local apps as the locals have the first-mover advantage and could secure a large number of patrons. As of today, PassApp is seen as an able competitor for the Singapore-based Grab in the Cambodian transport market. Thai Duong Bus Cambodia
Aside from the private-hire vehicles and ride-hailing service, public transport is also available but only in the capital. Phnom Penh city bus service started in 2015 with only three routes under the assistance of JICA.[4] Today, Phnom Penh City Bus operates 13 routes.
Railways
Two rail lines exist, both originating in Phnom Penh and totaling about 612 kilometers of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge single track. The first line or the northern line, built by The French colonial government, running from Phnom Penh to Poipet on the Thai border, between 1930 and 1940, with Phnom Penh Railway Station opening in 1932. The final connection with Thailand was completed by Royal State Railways in 1942. The service from Bangkok to Battambang was suspended when the French Indochinese Government resumed sovereignty over Battambang and the 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.[5]
A third line is planned to connect Phnom Penh with Vietnam,[6] the last missing link of the planned rail corridor between Singapore and the city of Kunming, China. A new north–south line is also planned. The lines from Phnom Penh to Sisophon and from Sisophon to Poipet have been rehabilitated; starting with Poipet to Srey Sisophon in April 2018 and Sisophon to Phnom Penh in early July (2018).[7]
The active part, the southern line, of the network is the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville line, with stops at Takeo and Kampot. The first line to be re-opened in Cambodia was the 118 km long route from Phnom Penh to Touk Meas and the complete southern line in May 2011[8] (or Toll Royal Railway). Toll Royal Railway (Cambodia)[9] had been given a 30-year concession from The Royal Government of Cambodia to operate Cambodia's railway network.
Routes
Waterways
The nation's extensive inland
According to the Ministry of Communications, Transport, and Post, Cambodia's main ferry services crossing the Bassac River and the middle Mekong River were restored in 1985. The major Mekong River navigation routes also were cleared for traffic. Seaplane service to all waterways and islands in now offered by Aero Cambodia Airline.
Seaports and harbors
Cambodia has two major ports,
Sihanoukville port reopened in late-1979. It had been built in 1960 with French assistance. In 1980 some 180 Soviet dockworkers, having brought with them forklifts and trucks, were reportedly working at Kampong Som as longshoremen or as instructors of unskilled Cambodian port workers. By 1984 approximately 1,500 Cambodian port workers were handling 2,500 tons of cargo per day. According to official statistics, Sihanoukville had handled only 769,500 tons in the four prior years (1979 to 1983), a level that contrasted sharply with the port's peacetime capacity of about one million tons of cargo per year.
Merchant marine
- Total: 626 ships (1,000 gross tonnage (GT) or over) totaling 953,105 GT/1,345,766 tonnes deadweight (DWT)
- Ships by type: vehicle carrier1 (2008)
- Note: 467 foreign-owned: UAE 34, United States6 (2008)
Airports
The country possesses twenty-six
Cambodia's second largest airport is
Cambodia also opened a new Soviet-built airfield at Ream,
The new national airline Cambodia Angkor Air was launched in 2009, with an investment from Vietnam Airlines. Aero Cambodia Airline started business in 2011 offering flights to all airports and waterways with seaplanes.
Airports with paved runways
- Total: 6 (2010)
- 2,500 to 3,000 m: 3
- 1,500 to 2,500 m: 2
- 1,000 to 1,500 m: 1
Airports with unpaved runways
- Total: 11 (2010)
- 1,500 to 2,500 m: 1
- 1,000 to 1,500 m: 9
- under 1,000 m: 1
Heliports
- 1 (2010)
See also
- State Secretariat of Civil Aviation
- Ministry of Public Works and Transport, of Cambodia
- Transport in Phnom Penh
- Phnom Penh International Airport
References
- ^ "Over 3,000km of roads funded by China loans, says minister". Eleven Media Group Co., Ltd. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
- ^ Rogers, David (26 April 2023). "Cambodia plans motorway from Phnom Penh to Vietnam". Global Construction Review. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ Spiess, R. (2018). Local ride-hailing apps stay on course. Retrieved from https://www.phnompenhpost.com/supplements-special-reports/local-ride-hailing-apps-stay-course
- ^ Baker, J. L. K., Natsuko; Lin, Sarah Xinyuan; Johnson, Erik Caldwell; Yin, Soriya; Ou, Narya;. (2017). Urban Development in Phnom Penh. Retrieved from http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/286991511862455372/Urban-development-in-Phnom-Penh
- ^ "Cambodia's rail back on track after four decades of woe".
- ISBN 978-89-5503-665-7. Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022 – via ASEA.org.
- ^ "Cambodia's rail back on track after four decades of woe".
- ^ "City to Airport Rail Link - Khmer Times". 5 December 2016.
- ^ "Royal Railway (Cambodia) | រ៉ូយ៉ាល់ រេលវេ | Chemins de Fer du Royaume du Cambodge | Book Cambodia Train Tickets, Cambodia Train Schedule & Online Booking | Phnom Penh, Kampot, Sihanoukville, Poipet, Sisophon, Battambang Train". 3 April 2018.
- ^ Oxford World Atlas, Oxford University Press, 1973, page 65
- ^ "Royal Railway (Cambodia) Stations".
- ^ Sakhuja, Vijay (13 June 2019). "There is more to Koh Kong". Khmer Times. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook.