Train to Bangkok

Cambodia news in English! Here you'll find all the breaking news from Cambodia translated into English for our international readership and expat community to read and comment on. The majority of our news stories are gathered from the local Khmer newspapers, but we also bring you newsworthy media from Cambodia before you read them anywhere else. Because of the huge population of the capital city, most articles are from Phnom Penh, but Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, and Kampot often make the headlines as well. We report on all arrests and deaths of foreigners in Cambodia, and the details often come from the Cambodian police or local Khmer journalists. As an ASEAN news outlet, we also publish regional news and events from our neighboring countries. We also share local Khmer news stories that you won't find in English anywhere else. If you're looking for a certain article, you may use our site's search feature to find it quickly.
User avatar
frank lee bent
Expatriate
Posts: 11330
Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 4:10 am
Reputation: 2094
United States of America

Train to Bangkok

Post by frank lee bent »

it is happening!
As an agreement on railway transport materialises, Cambodia and Thailand are set to hold a ceremony early next year to celebrate the official opening of the line that will connect Phnom Penh and Bangkok, a Ministry of Public Works and Transport official said.

The ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister HE and hiss Thai counterpart, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, said Ly Borin, an Under Secretary of State at the ministry.

The new railway will link Phnom Penh and the Thai capital via Poipet town, which shares the border with Aranyaprathet district in Sa Kaeo.

“By early next year we will organise the official connection of the railway line between Cambodia and Thailand, and premiers of both countries are scheduled to preside over the ceremony,” the Khmer Times on Thursday quoted Borin as saying.

The agreement on railway transport between the two nations is being drafted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation after several years of negotiations by the parties involved, said Borin, adding that the agreement will be signed before the end of 2017.

“We want the agreement to be signed before the end of the year so the official linking ceremony can be held by early 2018,” he said.

However, Borin noted that Cambodia still has to lay down one more kilometre of line. Discussions over customs duties at the border have not concluded either.

“On the Cambodian side, a kilometre of railway needs to be finished. With the rainy season in full swing, this is no easy task,” he said.

“We have to have further discussions with Thailand over the price of transporting goods in and out of the country through this border.”

Soeng Sophary, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, said Thailand is one of the kingdom’s main trade partners, adding that both governments enjoy very close and amicable relations.

“Achieving US$15 billion in cross-border trade by 2020 is possible due to strong ties between both governments,” she said.

“The value of imports from Thailand has decreased a bit due to the fact that more Thai investors are building factories in Cambodia, but Cambodia’s exports to Thailand have actually increased.”

The new railway will play a key role in improving infrastructure, which will help the countries reach their trade goals, Sophary said.

The Cambodia-Thailand railway line, part of the eastern corridor of the Singapore-Kunming Rail link, has suffered multiple delays. It is considered a key project in boosting bilateral trade and increasing the movement of people between both nations.

A railway station in Poipet is now under construction. According to Borin, it will be finished by the end of the year.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/transp ... tep-closer
User avatar
John Bingham
Expatriate
Posts: 13674
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2014 11:26 pm
Reputation: 8892
Cambodia

Re: Train to Bangkok

Post by John Bingham »

I think it's a brilliant idea. The idea of driving to Bangkok never appealed to me at all. Unfortunately there is only one set of tracks on the Cambodian side so it will be slow to the border. I don't care so much though, I can put up with long train journeys.
Silence, exile, and cunning.
User avatar
phuketrichard
Expatriate
Posts: 16790
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 5:17 pm
Reputation: 5733
Location: Atlantis
Aruba

Re: Train to Bangkok

Post by phuketrichard »

just drove Poi Pet to Cha am only 6 hours....
train would be nice, but am sure the bus companies will protest
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
User avatar
John Bingham
Expatriate
Posts: 13674
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2014 11:26 pm
Reputation: 8892
Cambodia

Re: Train to Bangkok

Post by John Bingham »

phuketrichard wrote: Fri Oct 06, 2017 7:47 pm just drove Poi Pet to Cha am only 6 hours....
train would be nice, but am sure the bus companies will protest
It's the drive from Phnom Penh to Poipet that would bother me rather than the one on the Thai side. There have been trains running from Phnom Penh to Kampot/ Sihanoukville for a couple of years and I haven't heard of any complaints from bus companies. The rail service is still very infrequent though so doesn't really make much of a dent in the bus passenger numbers. Even if there were only a few trains a week to Bangkok though, I'd love to take one rather than flying.
Silence, exile, and cunning.
User avatar
frank lee bent
Expatriate
Posts: 11330
Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 4:10 am
Reputation: 2094
United States of America

Re: Train to Bangkok

Post by frank lee bent »

i will use it
User avatar
timmydownawell
Expatriate
Posts: 3626
Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2016 12:50 pm
Reputation: 1454
Cambodia

Re: Train to Bangkok

Post by timmydownawell »

Well that's good because this article in the Khmer Times recently said:

talks on completing the much delayed Thailand to Cambodia rail link were shelved when Prime Minister HE met his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-o-cha earlier this month.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5083484/wheels-in-motion/

Catching a train to Bangkok is on my to-do list so this is excellent news.
You must walk in traffic to cross the road - Cambodian proverb
User avatar
jaynewcastle
Expatriate
Posts: 1150
Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2014 12:46 am
Reputation: 342
Great Britain

Re: Train to Bangkok

Post by jaynewcastle »

They have airplanes in Cambodia now :)

You can fly to Bangkok from Phom Penh in less than 60 mins, even quicker from Siem Reap
User avatar
frank lee bent
Expatriate
Posts: 11330
Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 4:10 am
Reputation: 2094
United States of America

Re: Train to Bangkok

Post by frank lee bent »

you get a completely different view of the country by rail than road or air.
a nice trip on the train to Takeo is very worthwhile and takes about the same time as a taxi.
User avatar
John Bingham
Expatriate
Posts: 13674
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2014 11:26 pm
Reputation: 8892
Cambodia

Re: Train to Bangkok

Post by John Bingham »

jaynewcastle wrote: Fri Oct 06, 2017 11:15 pm They have airplanes in Cambodia now :)

You can fly to Bangkok from Phom Penh in less than 60 mins, even quicker from Siem Reap
I've known that since the first time I flew in here nearly 20 years ago. You aren't smart or even funny.
Silence, exile, and cunning.
User avatar
phuketrichard
Expatriate
Posts: 16790
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 5:17 pm
Reputation: 5733
Location: Atlantis
Aruba

Re: Train to Bangkok

Post by phuketrichard »

frank lee bent wrote: Fri Oct 06, 2017 11:21 pm you get a completely different view of the country by rail than road or air.
a nice trip on the train to Takeo is very worthwhile and takes about the same time as a taxi.
I love train travel, did much of Myanmar by one but would imagine the one in Cambodia, wont be as fun :beer3:
when i was younger we took the train DC- Yellowstone- SFO, great trip and siting in the observation car at night (the top was all glass) was magical...
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: drozd, Ingvar 7788, Lost50, Spigzy and 697 guests