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Chronology of development of Cambodian railway network, some information from internet, some own observations and pictures.
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After civil war and genocide, the Cambodian railway network was not used at all or only for freight.
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There was/is the Bamboo Train in Battambang, where locals used lorries for transportation, and which was a tourist attraction. No personal experience.
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When I first came to Cambodia in July 2014, railway station in Phnom Penh was not open to public (locked and guarded, used for freight) and there was no passenger train service.
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Poipet railway station lay abandoned. I had a hotel room with view of railway station, here pictures of the railway station:
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Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of the railway track (there probably was no track, or completely covered with soil or garbage) and the bridge to Thailand, but I remember seeing the bridge when I walked around casinos at night.
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Jan2016 Phnom Penh railway station not open to public, but if I wanted I could have followed tracks to get into the railway station.
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Aug 2016 passenger train service started and I can get into railway station.
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Sep 2018 Poipet railway station renovated and a timetable and and immigration counter.
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Railway bridge over the river to Thailand.
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The track runs south of main road in Thailand and north of main road in Cambodia. It crosses main road in the traffic circle in Poipet.
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Aerial pictures by a friend's drone. Railway bridge in lower right corner of first picture, railway station in upper left corner of second picture.
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Battambang railway station in Sep 2018:
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But the subject of this post is the recently (apr2019) announced opening of cross-border railway service between Thailand and Cambodia.
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Thailand, Cambodia ready to relaunch rail link
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tourism-and-transport/1664764/thailand-cambodia-ready-to-relaunch-rail-link
Cambodia and Thailand reconnected by rail after 45 years
https://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30368126
Cambodia – Thailand rail link inaugurated by prime ministers
https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/news/asia/single-view/view/cambodia-thailand-rail-link-inaugurated-by-prime-ministers.html
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As I personally saw, track and railway stations are ready, now only administrative and political problems remain. A train service from Bangkok to Phnom Penh would be a good reason for me to visit Cambodia again.
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Update jul2019: A friend reports the train from Bangkok now runs up to the border for 49 THB (before Aranyaphrathet 48 THB and public transport on road for 60 THB from memory).
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Copyright 2019 ChristianPFC
thank you for a very informative post, not to mention quite a nice looking guy on the tracks leading to Phnom Penh station
ReplyDeleteYes, I noticed the guy on the tracks. Do you also have any photos with zoom ? (drool)
ReplyDeleteCambodia did open a Phnom Penh to Battambang rail service last year, but it got stopped again for maintenance & I had to take the bus back in December.
As a warning, the immigration into Thailand at Poipet is exceptionally slow. Took me over 2 hours queuing on the Thai side & I gather 3 hours is quite common. So next time I head from Cambodia into Thailand, it will not be via a land crossing here.
Z