Taking the train in Cambodia: Phnom Penh-Kampot-Sihanoukville – Move to Cambodia
After a wait of 14 years, passenger trains are once again running in Cambodia. Train buffs will need no other excuse to get on board, but there are good reasons why any traveler might like to let the train take the strain.
Although plans are in the works for a country-wide network, the train service is currently limited to four destinations, running from Phnom Penh via Takeo and Kampot, terminating in Sihanoukville. This first foray into passenger trains runs only on weekends and public holidays, matching domestic demand for the two popular Khmer holiday destinations.
Taking the train in Cambodia
Two trains alternate on the tracks — the Yellow Train and the Blue Train. The seating set-up is slightly different (sideways or front-facing), but both trains are air-conditioned and tickets are the same price. Given that the rolling stock is refurbished from the 1960s, the experience is more modern than you might expect. Carriages are air-conditioned, the padded vinyl seats are newly upholstered and the ride is surprisingly smooth. The toilet is clean and well provisioned — a bum gun, paper towels and the ubiquitous Glade air freshener.
Announcements are made in Khmer and English by a man in a high-vis jacket with a portable karaoke machine, bringing a personal touch to customer information. Lingering suggestions of the original train — pull-down windows, French language plaques, oscillating ceiling fans and stencil-punched seat numbers — will please lovers of retro train chic. The train stations, shabbily delightful hangovers from Cambodian history, are also worth a second look.
Any journey in Cambodia seems to be an excuse to eat. On board the train, the ever-smiling assistant in her Royal Railways baseball cap serves up instant Mama noodles and bottles of water to your seat on request. Passengers can stock up on boiled eggs, cut pineapple and mango, dried fish, and iced coffee at the station stops, which are usually about 10 minutes each.