Transportation

Transportation in Cambodia


War and continuing fighting severely damaged Cambodia's transportation system—a system that had been inadequately developed in peacetime. The country's weak infrastructure hindered emergency relief efforts and created tremendous problems of procurement of supplies in general and of distribution. Cambodia received Soviet technical assistance and equipment to support the maintenance of the transportation network.

Railways: Cambodia had two rail lines, both originating in Phnom Penh, totaling about 612 kilometers of single, one-meter-gauge track. The French built the first line, which runs from Phnom Penh to Paoy Pet on the Thai border, between 1930 and 1940. Assistance from France, West Germany, and China, between 1960 and 1969, supported the construction of the second line, which runs from Phnom Penh to Kampong Saom at the southern coast. Rail service ceased during the war, but resumed in the early 1980s. Guerrilla activities, however, continued to disrupt service.





total: 603 km

narrow gauge: 603 km 1.000-m gauge



Highways:

total: 35,769 km

paved: 4,165 km

unpaved: 31,604 km (1997 est.) Of the current total, only about 20 percent of the roads and highways were covered with asphalt and were in passable condition; about 50 percent of the roads were made of crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth; and the remaining approximately 30 percent were unimproved earth or were little more than tracks. In 1981 Cambodia opened a newly repaired section of National Route 1, which runs southeast from Phnom Penh to the Vietnamese border. The road, which suffered damage during the war years, was restored most probably by Vietnamese army engineers. In the late 1980s, Cambodia's road network was both underutilized and unable to meet even the modest demands placed upon it by an unindustrialized and agrarian society (see fig. 8.). Commercial vehicles, such as trucks and buses, were insufficient in number and lacked spare parts necessary to keep them running. Road construction and maintenance were ignored by a financially hard-pressed government, while insurgents regularly destroyed bridges and rendered some routes unsafe for travel.



Waterways: The nation's extensive inland waterways were important historically in domestic trade. The Mekong and the Tonle Sap Rivers, their numerous tributaries, and the Tonle Sap provided avenues of considerable length, including 3,700 kilometers navigable all year by craft drawing 0.6 meters and another 282 kilometers navigable to craft drawing 1.8 meters. In some areas, especially west of the Mekong River and north of the Tonle Sab River, the villages were completely dependent on waterways for communications. Launches, junks, or barges transported passengers, rice, and other food in the absence of roads and railways.



According to the Ministry of Communications, Transport, and Posts, Cambodia's main ferry services crossing the Basak River and the middle Mekong River at Neak Luong (Phumi Prek Khsay), Tonle Bet, Sre Ambel, Kampong Cham, and Stoeng Treng were restored in 1985. The major Mekong River navigation routes also were cleared for traffic.



Seaports and harbors: Cambodia has two major ports, Phnom Penh and Kampong Saom, and five minor ones. Phnom Penh, located at the junction of the Basak, the Mekong, and the Tonle Sab rivers, is the only river port capable of receiving 8,000-ton ships during the wet season and 5,000-ton ships during the dry season. It remains an important port for international commerce as well as for domestic communications.



Kampong Saom, Cambodia's only seaport, reopened in late 1979. It had been built in 1960 with French assistance. In 1980 some 180 Soviet dockworkers, having brought with them forklifts and trucks, were reportedly working at Kampong Saom as longshoremen or as instructors of unskilled Cambodian port workers. By 1984 approximately 1,500 Cambodian port workers were handling 2.5 tons of cargo per day. According to official statistics, Kampong Saom had handled only 769,500 tons in the four prior years (1979 to 1983), a level that contrasted sharply with the port's peacetime capacity of about 1 million tons of cargo per year.



Merchant marine:

total: 211 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 953,105 GRT/1,345,766 DWT

ships by type: bulk 20, cargo 166, combination bulk 1, container 5, livestock carrier 2, multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 7, roll-on/roll-off 6 (1999 est.)

note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships of 8 countries: Aruba 1, Cyprus 7, Egypt 1, South Korea 1, Malta 1, Panama 1, Russia 5, Singapore 1 (1998 est.)



Airports: 19 (1999 est.) The country possesses twenty-six airfields, of which only thirteen were usable in the mid-1980s. Eight airfields had permanent-surface runways. Pochentong International Airport near Phnom Penh is the largest airport; it also serves as the main base for the renascent Cambodian Air Force (see Kampuchean, or Khmer, People's Revolutionary Armed Forces , ch. 5). Cambodia opened a new Soviet-built airfield at Ream near Kampong Saom in late 1983. There are additional secondary airports in Siemreab and in Batdambang.



Air Kampuchea was established in 1982 and flew only one route-- from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. In 1984 commercial air service was inaugurated between Phnom Penh and Hanoi with the arrival at Hanoi International Airport of the Kampuchean Civil Aviation Company's (AKASCHOR) first flight. Since then, there has been regular air service from Phnom Penh to Hanoi, Vientiane, and Moscow.



Airports - with paved runways:

total: 6

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1999 est.)



Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 13

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 11 (1999 est.)


Cambodia Transportation Around Cambodia




Airlines

There are two airline companies (below) offering daily flights to Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Rattanakiri and Stung Treng. Please note that in Cambodia, you don’t need to dial 855 but do need to dial a 0 before the numbers shown. There are plenty of travel agents in Cambodia who can book you a ticket for the same or next day (remember, this is Asia where things are done at the last minute).







President Airlines

Head Office- Phnom Penh

Tel: (855) 23 993 088-89

Fax: (855) 23 993 098





Siem Reap Airways

Tel: (855) 63 380 330/1

Fax: (855) 63 380 332







Buses

The bus service in Cambodia is cheap with a number of companies operating along a few routes (the roads are gradually improving but they can still be bad at times). There are many buses each day to and from Phnom Penh to places like Sihanoukville ($4 for the single four hour journey on a very good road), Battambang (six hour $4 journey on reasonable road) and Siem Reap ($4 six hour journey on a good road). There are also daily buses to and from Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Battambang to the Thai border crossing of Poipet, and the Vietnam border at Moc Bai. From Phnom Penh buses also run to Kampot, Kompong Cham and Kratie.





Trains

Taking a train in Cambodia is, without question, an experience. The train carriages are very old and rusting away, and it really is anyone’s guess as to what time you’ll arrive at your destination. Plus, there are only two train lines in the country -- one from Battambang to Phnom Penh, and the second to and from the capital to Sihanoukville. Due to the roads being improved trains run very intermittantly now and dont have a passenger car so you will be on the roof all the way. Enquire at the train station as to when the next train will be running. Nevertheless, if you have the time, it’s well worth taking the train as they are now safe from bandits, you’re bound to meet some interesting characters along the way, it’s very cheap and the scenery (especially towards the coast) is breathtaking at times.





Boats

The boat is a popular means of transport on the Mekong and do go as far as Stung Treng, although the most popular ones operate on the Tonlé Sap between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap $20 -23 a rip-off compared to the bus. It’s also possible to take a boat to and from Siem Reap to Battambang but the road is a much better choice. There is also a fast boat to and from Koh Kong and Sihanoukville, and is yor best bet as due to the wet season the road is in bad condition. A bus/boat service is also available from Phnom Penh to Saigon via Chao Doc border crossing. Of course, the scenery throughout these journeys can be superb, but it is an expensive means of traveling in comparison to other options while reports of overcrowding and breakdowns on the Tonle Sap lake are common.





Pick-ups, Taxis & Minibuses

Pick-ups are used for traveling the truly awful roads in Cambodia to and from places like Koh Kong. Commuters who regularly endure the misery of rush hour on the London Underground in the UK will be well trained for pick-ups as there often ridiculously overcrowded. There are many share taxis in Cambodia to various destinations most of which leave from central market. You can often hire them individually or pay for a seat and wait for other passengers to turn up. Minibuses cover similar routes.





Car & Motorcycle Hire

Self-drive car hire is presently not available in Cambodia and considering the state of the roads it is probably just as well. It is possible to hire a car and driver for around US$20 to US$30 per day. Motorcycles are a good means of transport to visit places outside of Phnom Penh on a day trip $5-8 a day for 250 dirtbikes $3-4 for motos. Remember to slow down through villages, look out for animals and children, wear a helmet and bear in mind that medical assistance doesn’t really exist in the countryside.