Feature Image: Napping on the 7am train from Phnom Penh

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Traveling Cambodia by Rail

There’s multiple bus options and driving options to get from Phnom Penh to other destinations within Cambodia, but we opted for the 7-hour journey on the resurrected train service. The Royal Railway service was completely shut down during the civil war, and reopened as recently as 2016. Currently there are limited routes from the capital but more are planned, including extending the Poipet route over the border into Thailand.

In addition to the short rail service that connects the capital to the international airport, there are these two key routes:

1. In 2016 the southern route connected Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, with stops at Takeo and Kampot.
2. In July 2018 the western route connected Phnom Penh to Poipet (on the Thai border), and this train stops at Pursat, Battambang, and Sisophon)

Phnom Penh Train Station

The capital’s train station was construction in 1932 during the French colonial era, and despite being closed for 11 years (during 2005-2016) during the conflict, it’s in good shape. It’s a grande old dame from a different era, and although it’s clean and maintained well, it’s a voluminous bare-bones-basic entrance hall with no shops or amenities, although there are plenty of seats by the ticket counter. The only place selling food or drinks nearby is a small kiosk outside the front entrance.

We traveled on the Saturday morning train from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, which stops at via Takeo and Kampot, at at the time there was one Friday departure at 3pm, and two departures on Saturday and Sunday at 7am and 4pm, but now the schedule has changed, and Sunday is the only day with two departure.

Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville
	km Distance	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Sunday
Phnom Penh depart:	0	07:01	07:01	07:01	16:01
Takeo	75	09:01	09:01	09:01	18:01
Kampot	166	11:31	11:31	11:31	20:31
Sihanoukville arrive:	263	13:31	13:31	13:31	22:31

Ticket Prices as of July 2020

• Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville $8
• Phnom Penh to Kampot $7
• Kampot to Sihanoukville $5

Buying Tickets online

Before you make your travel plans, visit with the Royal Railway website to check the most updated service times. They have the most up to date information about their domestic and international train routes. The site has a booking engine, but you can also buy tickets online at www.baolau.com or www.12go.asia.

As we were in Phnom Penh we went to the train station a couple of days before to buy tickets directly. Their ticket office is open 8am-4:30pm weekdays, 6am-4pm weekends. There’s only a limited number of seats so during peak seasons you’ll need to book ahead to make sure you can get on the train you want.

Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville Train

• Platform 1: Line to Poipet
• Platform 2: Airport Link
• Platform 3: Line to Sihanoukville

The train is a blast from the past, but a welcome alternative to being scrunched up in minivan for 7-10 hours on the same journey. There were seat numbers on our handwritten tickets, but when we traveled there didn’t seem to be any compliance and everyone was just sitting anywhere, so we headed into a small front carriage where the train staff were hanging out.

This carriage had eight narrow seats facing each other in sets of two, and although these are intended for two people to sit side-by-side, they’re built for narrow Asian bums not European ones! But luckily the train wasn’t that full, so we got to stretch out across our double seats.

If you’re going on this train, try and get in the small 8-seater carriage, because once the main carriages were full of passengers they were noisy and cramped. The aisles were obstacle courses with luggage as trip hazards, the noise level was like being at the Rio Carnival.

ADDENDUM: Royal Railways has started to enforce seat reservations.

We took snacks on board with us and plenty to drink, but you can buy food and drink on this train route—not just snacks, but cooked meals too. There isn’t a trolley service or restaurant car, but there is a small kitchen area in one of the carriages and you can order from them (basic English is spoken).

Additional resources for Cambodia Trains:

• Visit The Man in Seat 61 for more information about this rail service
• Royal Railway website to check the most updated service times
• Cambodia Trains Website

1st Stop: Takeo Train Station

Takeo is a rural town and your first stop on the southern route, and the commencement of this rail service after such a long time has started to drip-feed tourists into the area. The train stops here for about 10-minutes, which is just enough time to hop off the train to buy food or smoke. The food vendors time their arrival to synch with the train arrivals and set up their stalls on the only platform at this station. The rest of the time the station is quiet and deserted, and it’s not even staffed by railway employees, and the only time the ticket counter is manned is about 45 minutes before a train arrives/departs.

2nd Stop: Kampot Train Station

The train stops at Kampot for an extended period. If there’s been no delays on the route it’ll stop for about half an hour, but less if the train was delayed. The station is on the outskirts of town, and when the train arrives so do the local residents who set up food and drink stalls on the platform. Like Takeo, the ticket offices are only manned prior to train arrivals. If you are getting off the train in Kampot, there’s plenty of remorks (Cambodian tuks tuks) and taxis to take you into town or your guest house.

No trip to Cambodia is complete without at least a couple of nights in Kampot. We didn’t get off the train during our journey, but we did have two visits here during our stay. Once during our Workaway Christmas break, and once on our way back from our visa run to Vietnam, when we came back into Cambodia through the Kep border.

Final Stop: Sihanoukville Train Station

This train station was looking a little worse for wear, and like the others along the route there’s no shop or services. But because this is such a popular destination (not just for the town, but for the boats to local islands) there’s a large group of taxis, remorks, and motorbike taxis waiting outside the arrivals hall.

We hopped in a taxi for the 25-minute ride to Otres Beach, which cost $15 for the ride, but you might be able to negotiate a cheaper price, and the more people you manage to join you, the lower the price. Hang around the arrivals hall and ask passing backpackers if they’re going to Otres Beach, so you can share a taxi and get a cheaper ride.

As a guide, journeys to local beach areas should cost no more than $5 on a motorbike taxi and $10 in a normal taxi.

After a 5am start (nursing a slight handover celebrating our departure from Phnon Penh), a seven hour train journey, and a 30 minute cab ride to Otres Beach, we were ready to flop. But the last thing we wanted to do was hide away in our room, so we had a quick shower and changed, for a restorative walk on the beach.

After the chaos, noise, and offensive aromas of Phnom Penh it was a blessing to take our flip flops off and feel the sand between our toes. This was our first glimpse of a Cambodian beach, and it didn’t disappoint.

We really did luck out, because it was one of the best beaches we visited during our entire time in Cambodia and Vietnam. During our couple of month’s here doing our Workaway gig, we spent a lot of time on this beach, lazing, having beach massages, and hunting down our favourite seafood vendors.

This was our only train ride during our Cambodian adventure. Rail would have been our preferred mode of transport, but the limited travel dates and destinations really don’t make it a viable option—unless you have a really flexible schedule. We ended up taking more mini buses and coaches to get around the country, but nothing compared to the comfort and relaxation of our train ride from Phnom Penh.

There's not many train routes in Cambodia, but this 7 hour train ride from #PhnomPenh to #Sihanoukville was a relaxing way to see the country and ride in style. #travelblogger #flashpacking #TT Share on X

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Flashpacking through Cambodia

Flashpacking through Cambodia: For Baby Boomers on a Budget is my latest Roving Jay travel guide full of travel tips, advice, and sample itineraries for flash packers who want the back packing experience without foregoing some of life’s creature comforts – like a comfortable bed, a hot shower, free wi-fi, and somewhere to plug your electric toothbrush in. I spent almost three months backpacking around Cambodia in 2017/2018 to research this travel guide, and I share insights and first hand knowledge of tourist traps and off-the-beaten-path discoveries. We ate street food, drank 50c beers, and travelled by train, bus, minivan and tuktuk to identify the best ways to get from A to B. If you’d like to receive a free Review Copy ahead of the general public release, please click here. Here’s my Cambodia posts on this blog:

• Cambodia Visa and Arrival at Siem Reap Airport
• Cambodia: How to Avoid the Crowds at Angkor Wat
• Filling up your scooter in Cambodia
• The Best Tasting Street Food in Siem Reap
• Angkor Wat at Dawn: Is it worth it?
• Come face to face with Angkor Thom’s Bayon
• Good vs. Evil at Angkor Thom’s Impressive Southern Gate
• The Baphuon Temple and the Terrace of the Elephants at Angkor Thom
• Visiting Siem Reap’s War Museum
• Where to Stay in Siem Reap
• Visiting Siem Reap’s Markets
• Give your taste buds a disco at Siem Reap Night Market
• Responsible Tourism at Joe to Go in Siem Reap
• What to See and Do in Siem Reap
• Which Siem Reap Floating Village should you visit?
• Memorable Boat Trip from Siem Reap to Battambang
• Libations and Bric-a-Brac tempt our purse strings in Battambang
• Vegetable Amok at About the World Restaurant in Battambang
• Cooking Classes at Nary’s Kitchen Battambang
• Pomme Bar, Restaurant and Hostel, at the Core of the new Battambang
• An educational trip around Battambang’s Central Market
• Sightseeing and things to do in Battambang Cambodia
• Bayon VIP Bus from Battambang to Phnom Penh Cambodia
• Exploring Phnom Penh’s 172nd Street in the dark
• The challenge of wandering Phnom Penh’s streets
• A visit to Phnom Penh’s Central Market
• Exploring Phnom Penh’s Markets
• Phnom Penh Photo Diary
• Tops sights to see in Phnom Penh
• Touring S-21 Security Prison (Tuol Sleng Museum Phnom Penh)
• A reflective visit to The Killing Fields
• Taking a train from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville
• The majesty of Otres Beach sunsets
• Our Workaway Gig at Otres Beach Market Cambodia
• Working Away to make Cambodian Bagels
• Cambodia Pastry Wars: The Battle of the Quiche
• Our Cambodia workaway gig renovating a market stall
• Unwind on Cambodia’s Koh Ta Kiev Island
• Cambodian Beach Massage and Grilled Seafood
• Building Community during our Cambodian Workaway
• Gecko Village in Kampot Cambodia – a Photo Essay
• Christmas Eve in Kampot
• more coming

 

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