Cambodian Railway Makes Test Run for Passenger Service

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juansweetpotato
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Cambodian Railway Makes Test Run for Passenger Service

Post by juansweetpotato »

Khmer Times/Sok Chan Sunday, 10 January 2016 333 views

Royal Railways (Cambodia) resumed passenger transportation on Saturday after years of suspension, with a 12 kilometer test run, a company executive told state-run AKP news agency.

Mr. Tizon, a customer service officer at Royal Railways, told AKP that the company had used three carriages for 150 passengers on the 12 kilometer test run in Phnom Penh, with three carriages for VIP passengers and two for regular passengers.

Mr. Tizon said that the resumption of rail service was primarily for tourism and the line will connect Phnom Penh with Sihanoukville. The 260 km trip will take about eight hours and trains will run at a speed of 35 kilometers per hour, he was quoted as saying.

The advantages of train travel are that passengers can enjoy the view in air-conditioned carriages and road traffic will be reduced, the told AKP. He said tourist companies had previously contacted Royal Railways asking for train service between the capital and Sihanoukville.

Ho Vandy, president of World Express Tours and Travel, said the resumption of service adds to the variety of travel services available. Train travel is also safe, he added.

The only drawback is that compared to rail service in other countries in ASEAN, the train will move slowly in Cambodia, he said. Trains run from between 80 km and 300 km per hour in other countries, but the train here will run just 35 km per hour, he said, adding that it will also take a while for the service to gain customers. Tourism is surging in Preah Sihanouk province, with domestic holidaymakers leading the way, according to figures from the Provincial Department of tourism.

The number of domestic tourists visiting the province shot up almost 20 percent last year to about 1.15 million, the figures show. The number of foreign tourists to the province rose about 1 percent, to more than 362,000, with tourists from China taking the top spot among foreign tourists for the first time, according to provincial data.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/19683/ ... r-service/
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Re: Cambodian Railway Makes Test Run for Passenger Service

Post by Bitte_Kein_Lexus »

Christ, I'd rather shoot myself in the face. It's still a step in the right direction I guess.
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Re: Cambodian Railway Makes Test Run for Passenger Service

Post by cptrelentless »

Surely going 35 clicks an hour will suck the wind from their lungs. Is there a man with a red flag, on a moto, riding down the line ahead of it? Giant cow catchers is what they need, the rail squatters just need a little nudge...
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Re: Cambodian Railway Makes Test Run for Passenger Service

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Eight miserable hours. Any pix of the rolling stock? How old would the rails be?
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Re: Cambodian Railway Makes Test Run for Passenger Service

Post by epidemiks »

If they do an overnight run, and have cabins, it's a much safer alternative to the death-trap night buses.
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Re: Cambodian Railway Makes Test Run for Passenger Service

Post by John Bingham »

ExPenhMan wrote:Eight miserable hours. Any pix of the rolling stock? How old would the rails be?
Here are some before and after shots:
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The train is a 1969 German diesel railcar and coach. The tracks are all new.
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Re: Cambodian Railway Makes Test Run for Passenger Service

Post by ExPenhMan »

^^^ Excellent. Thanks.

Wonder if there are any level crossings, the most dangerous part of a rail journey -- anywhere in the world.
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Re: Cambodian Railway Makes Test Run for Passenger Service

Post by John Bingham »

ExPenhMan wrote:^^^ Excellent. Thanks.

Wonder if there are any level crossings, the most dangerous part of a rail journey -- anywhere in the world.
There are plenty of level crossings - I don't think there are any bridges. There's one on st 598, one on Kim Il Sung Boulevard and another on Hanoi Road. A lot of people live near the railway so you see a lot of motos and even cars driving along close to the tracks.
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Re: Cambodian Railway Makes Test Run for Passenger Service

Post by Bitte_Kein_Lexus »

Not sure of you meant along the 12km test run or not, but from memory, pretty sure there are several bridges on the way to both SHNV and Battambang. Bridges a bit out of Takeo, as well as several around Kep and near Kampot as well. It's amazing that they've refurbished those 60-year-old cabins. German donations or were they existing ones here? I'll try to scoop out a few pictures I have from the old Battambang train yard...
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Re: Cambodian Railway Makes Test Run for Passenger Service

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