Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

has of

metre gauge Metre-gauge railways ( US: meter-gauge railways) are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre. Metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by several European colonial powers including France, Britain and ...

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

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...

, 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 French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...

, but due to neglect and damage from

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

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 to promote social and economic development in Asia. The bank is headquartered in Metro Manila, Philippines and maintains 31 field offices around the world. The bank was establishe ...

, 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, and passenger service between Phnom Penh and Poipet 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 with

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

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 Phnom Penh Royal railway station () is a railway station in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It is located next to the University of Health Sciences (Cambodia), University of Health Sciences and the National University of Management as well as the Canad ...

opening in 1932. The final connection with

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

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 estim ...

Battambang Battambang (, Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ) is the capital of Battambang province and the List of cities and towns in Cambodia, third largest city in Cambodia. The city is situated on the Sangkae River, which winds its way through t ...

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. ;Route

– Pursat – Moung Ruessei –

– Sisophon – Poipet

Late 20th century

In 1955

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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 located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

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 Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

Port of

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

and Khlong Toei 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 ...

. Rail service ceased during the war but resumed in the early 1980s.

Guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

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, Railroad car#Freight cars, freight and Passenger railroad car, passenger cars (or coaches) ...

. 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. 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. 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 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 Hamburg, Manche ...

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

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. 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 using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

from Phnom Penh to

Bavet Bavet (, ) is the largest city in Svay Rieng Province, Cambodia. An international border crossing between Cambodia and Vietnam, its counterpart across the border is Mộc Bài of Tây Ninh Province, Vietnam. Bavet is one of the "special econo ...

at the Vietnamese border, with an eventual plan to connect to the Vietnamese railway network at

Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

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

Hun Sen Samdech Hun Sen (; , Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military officer who currently serves as the List of presidents of the Senate (Cambodia), president of the Senate. He previous ...

, a team from China Railway Construction Corporation 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. In the context of history of technology and economic development, electrification refe ...

, Phnom PenhStung TrengSiem Reap railway and urban rail system (

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

and metro) in Phnom Penh. 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. 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. Cambodia HSR 2023

The 3 railways are: *Phnom PenhSihanoukville railway using the existing Phnom Penh-Poipet-Banteay Meanchey railway; *Phnom PenhPoipet 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 PenhBavet City high speed railway is also in its plan to be built.

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) is operational

Rolling stocks

CSR Qishuyan Locomotive Company of China has supplied diesel-electric locomotives of type CKD6D to Cambodia Royal Railway. These are 880 kW

Bo-Bo B-B and Bo-Bo are the AAR wheel arrangement, 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′B ...

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 ...

CAT3508B

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

. Ten second hand Indian YDM4 locomotives are also present in the fleet. As of 2023, Cambodian Railways also operate a fleet of ex- Thai Railways DMU trainsets. Most recently, Cambodian Railways purchased 11 units of KiHa 183 DMUs from

Japan Railways The Japan Railways Group, commonly known as the or simply JR, is a network of railway companies in Japan formed after the division and privatization of the government-owned Japanese National Railways (JNR) on April 1, 1987. The group comprise ...

Railway links with adjacent countries

– yes – same gauge *

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

– indirectly via Thailand *

– no – planned – same gauge

Timeline

2006

* Trans-Asian Railway network planned. * Link proposed Aranyaprathet,

to Sisophon,

* 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 an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Kunming Kunming is the capital and largest city of the province of Yunnan in China. The political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province, Kunming is also the seat of the provincial government. During World War II, Kunming was a Ch ...

rail route, Malaysia has donated rails to Cambodia which will be used to connect Poipet to Sisophon (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 transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth-longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third-longest in Asia with an estimated l ...

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. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

will see restoration of the link with

2007

* ADB and

OPEC The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC ) is an organization enabling the co-operation of leading oil-producing and oil-dependent countries in order to collectively influence the global oil market and maximize Profit (eco ...

agree to lend $80m for Aranyaprathet to Sisophon link with completion in 2010. * $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 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

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

2009

* 12 June Toll Holdings and Royal Group sign concession agreement.

2010

* October Touk Meas to

reopens for freight.

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.

2015

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

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

2019

* 22 April – 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 the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

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

between Phnom Penh and

2023

* 26 July: Inaugural cross-border rail service between Thailand and Cambodia for freight * 8 August: Cambodia, Thailand on track with new railway connectivity

Bamboo railway

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 mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

-covered platform and two detached

axle An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotation, rotating wheel and axle, 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 ...

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 small 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 faciliti ...

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. Air-cooled designs are far simpler than their liquid-cooled ...

gasoline engine A petrol engine (gasoline engine in American and Canadian 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 Autogas, liquefied petroleum gas and Common ...

s adapted from portable electricity generators, or from water pumps Power is transmitted by belt and

pulley Sheave without a rope A pulley is a wheel on an axle or shaft enabling a taut cable or belt passing over the wheel to move and change direction, or transfer power between itself and a shaft. A pulley may have a groove or grooves between flan ...

. 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

Current Royal Railways 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