Cambodia train travel articles at Nomadic Notes.
Cambodia has two railway lines that operate from Phnom Penh. There is a line from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville (Southern Line), and Phnom Penh to Poipet via Battambang (Northern Line).
The railways of Cambodia were established during the French colonial era. The lines fell into disrepair during and after the Khmer Rouge era, and they have since been restored for passenger and freight use. The trains are still slow and don’t run regularly, but they are more comfortable than taking a minivan or bus, and a more memorable travel experience.
Cambodia train websites and tickets
Ticket agent: Baolau
Cambodia railway lines
These are the main railway lines in Cambodia.
Southern Line
The Southern Line operates from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville. This is a good way to get to Cambodia’s city-by-the-sea (now known for its casinos). From Sihanoukville, you can get a boat to Koh Rong.
This line also has a stop at Kampot, which is a small riverside city that has become popular with expats. There is one train in each direction, but it is best to check the Facebook site for updated times.
My review of the current train service: The Japanese train in Cambodia: Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville on the KiHa train from Hokkaido
My review of the old train service: Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville by train.
Buy Phnom-Penh – Sihanoukville train tickets.
Northern Line
[Battambang Station]
The Northern Line is a daily service that operates from Phnom Penh to Battambang.
The Northern Line terminates at Poipet on the Cambodia-Thailand border. The line has now been connected to Thailand, so it’s now a matter of waiting for the government to approve international train services.
Review: Battambang to Phnom Penh by train.
Bamboo Railway
I reviewed the Bamboo Railway in Battambang in 2016 before the line was rehabilitated. The bamboo railway is still operating, but there is also a tourist train that was supposed to replace it. Here is my comparison of the original and new bamboo trains.
Disclaimers
– Check the official railway site for updated train service information.
– Nomadic Notes is an affiliate of Baolau.
This is part of the Nomadic Notes train travel series.
It is hard to believe that they spent all that money on rebuilding the lines in the 21st century and trains can only average around 30kph even it freight was the primary objective
Still haven’t even managed despite much fanfare to run a proper international service cross border with Thailand let alone Bangkok to PP.
Now we are hearing that they want to build high speed lines ( not sure how they are defining high speed)
Yes it’s crazy. I am reminded of one of the early JICA reports for the Vietnam North-South railway where they came to the conclusion that it would be cheaper to build a new railway than to try and refurbish the old one. That seems logical, but at least there was a report to back this up. Maybe they though it was going to be an easy fix, and then the next thing you know they are up to their neck in spending money on a line that should have just been rebuilt.
The new lines have been quoted as 160km/h, so semi-high-speed and a very sensible speed for Camboida (like in Laos). It will probably get built now if Cambodia is as pliant as Laos, so there will be a shiny new railway from border-to-border, with Thailand’s crappy metre-gauge at one end, and no railway at the Vietnam end.