Battambang Bamboo Train (Norry)

Local community / Tourist Police concession
Cambodia
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The Journey

Navigate from O Dambang Bamboo Train Station (south of Phnom Banan temple) to Chheu Teal turnaround loop across a span of 4km.

Scenery Highlights
  • Phnom Banan temple hill silhouette backdrop to the north (with Phnom Banan pagoda visible above the treeline)
  • Shooting-straight single-track section through the densest jungle canopy (the famous 'tunnel of green')
  • Buffalo herds and stork flocks in the paddies flanking the line
  • Panoramic views of the Tonle Sap floodplain to the south at the turnaround loop
  • Authentic working villages with woven-bamboo granaries and rice-drying mats
Quick Facts
  • Duration

    0.5 hours

  • Distance

    4 km

  • Est. Price

    Budget (Under $10 per person for shared; ~$50 for full private platform charter)

Official Booking Provider
Classes & Accommodations

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Engine / Locomotive

Honda 160cc (or clone) single-cylinder petrol engine with chain drive to repurposed rail axle — variants include Lifan 200cc and Bajaj-derived units

Track Gauge

1,000mm (metre gauge) — original French Chemins de Fer de l'Indochine alignment from 1932

Braking Technology

Manual friction brake operated by driver using a lever against the rail head — supplemented by engine compression in some units

Route Engineering Challenges

  • Single-track operation — two norries passing each other requires a full 60–90 second disassembly of the lighter one and is a major throughput constraint during peak 10:00–14:00 window

  • Loosely-fitted bamboo platform on rail-axle hubs means the deck can crack or split under hard braking or heavy monsoonal rainfall — operators replace bamboo decks every 6–12 months

  • Unpaved sleepers and overgrown ballast require constant community maintenance to prevent derailments during the May–October wet season

  • The tourist spur is physically disconnected from the surviving national rail network (the Battambang–Poipet cross-border line is dormant) — the Norry is a heritage exhibit, not a feeder to any other rail service

  • Drivers hand-craft modifications (engine mounts, braking arms, bamboo tightening) — no OEM technical support exists for this vehicle type, so safety depends on operator experience

  • Bamboo and wooden platform catches fire risk from the exposed hot exhaust manifold — operators carry a small fire extinguisher and water drum at the turnaround loop

Platform length

~3 metres (long enough for ~15–20 seated passengers plus driver)

Bamboo deck material

Locally harvested thick bamboo poles (~5–7 cm diameter) lashed to a wooden frame with nylon rope

Bogies

Two repurposed rail axle-sets salvaged from abandoned metre-gauge rolling stock; bearings are greased weekly

Seating capacity

15–20 passengers (4 across × 4–5 rows; bench seating with no backs)

Max speed

~40 km/h on flat sections in dry conditions; typically 25–30 km/h in practice

Origin

Post-1990s informal adaptation of railway axle technology; heritage rails built 1932–1942 by French colonial Chemins de Fer de l'Indochine

Number of platforms in current operation

Approximately 12–15 active norrys operated by the Tourist Police concession in 2026 (down from peak of 30+ in mid-2010s)

Operator

Local community / Tourist Police concession; coordinated through Battambang Provincial Tourism Office

Status

Operational; tourism activity year-round

Bamboo deck lifespan

~6–12 months under daily operation; spare decks kept at the O Dambang station

Currency

USD cash (Cambodian riel accepted at ~4,000 KHR per USD)

Quick Facts
  • Duration

    0.5 hours

  • Distance

    4 km

  • Est. Price

    Budget (Under $10 per person for shared; ~$50 for full private platform charter)

Official Booking Provider