Cambodia has 612 km (380 mi) of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
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]
Before the Phnom Penh – Poipet railway was built in the 1930s, a 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) railway line connecting
Phnom Krom with
Siem Reap was originally built by the French in the 1890s. The French colonial government built the first line, 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. However, 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.
In 1955
Australia donated rolling stock, described as "railway wagons of various types", worth at the time AUS£441,000 and "needed for new rail links."[5] Assistance from
France,
West Germany, and the
United Kingdom 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 Port of
Vietnam and
Khlong Toei Port of Thailand. In 1960,
Australia provided four third-class passenger carriages under the
Colombo Plan.[6] 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
Phnom Penh and
Battambang had been reduced from daily to weekly service due to the lack of funds to maintain the tracks and
rolling stock. Even the new
diesel-electric locomotives 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 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
Toll Holdings was awarded the contract to begin reconstruction of Cambodia's rail network and to operate it once complete.[8] 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
Bangkok for the first time in over 60 years.[9] The Australian government and the
Asian Development Bank was said to spend $26 million to help rebuild Cambodia's rail system, the majority of the Northern and Southern lines in Cambodia.[10] 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
Asian Development Bank. 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.[11] The report which was prepared by
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.[12] The line from Phnom Penh to the
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
Poipet to
Sisophon would begin operations on 4 April 2018.[21] Subsequently, operations were further extended to
Battambang on 29 April, with plans to open the line to
Pursat on 29 May. It was also reported that new railway routes were being studied by private companies.[22] In 2020, transport undersecretary of state Ly Borin announced a feasibility study of the
railway 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.[23]
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.
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]
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-
Kunming rail route, Malaysia has donated rails to Cambodia which will be used to connect
Poipet to
Sisophon (48 km).[34] 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 is still required. The completed Singapore-Kunming line is expected to promote increased trade with China.
16 December 2006 – The
Asian Development Bank is advancing a loan together with the donation in kind of rails from
Malaysia will see restoration of the link with
Thailand.
November 2008 – agreement for Vietnam – Cambodia link[36]
October–November: A 30-year agreement is prepared with Australia's
Toll Holdings to upgrade the national railway system, restore the link from the present western railhead at
Sisophon to the
Thai railhead at
Poipet, 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
Mekong River in
Kampong Cham Province. The Cambodian government is hoping to get assistance from China to finance the project.[7]
2009
12 June
Toll Holdings and Royal Group sign concession agreement.[8]
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
Battambang. The trains consist of a
bamboo-covered platform and two detached
axles with wheels. They run on regular tracks and are powered with scavenged engines, such as
Briggs & Stratton type
air-cooledgasoline engines adapted from portable
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.[43]