Royal Railway Southern Line

Royal Railway Cambodia (Toll Royal Railway)
Cambodia
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The Journey

Navigate from Phnom Penh Royal Railway Station to Sihanoukville Railway Station (Preah Sihanouk) across a span of 264km.

Scenery Highlights
  • Bokor Mountain station views — the abandoned 1920s French hill station appears above the treeline around Kampot
  • Kampot pepper-farm panoramas along the river terraces
  • Emerald rice paddy panoramas in the early-morning light
  • Kep turntable and crab-market detour (turning loop allows brief photo stop)
  • Sihanoukville coastal arrival — direct platform access to the Sihanoukville Independent Port and the beaches
  • Slow speeds through rural villages enabling clear window views of rice threshing and buffalo carts
Quick Facts
  • Duration

    6.6 hours

  • Distance

    264 km

  • Est. Price

    Budget (USD 9–14 for seats)

Official Booking Provider
Classes & Accommodations

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Meals: Bottled water + light snack

Ensuite: No

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Engine / Locomotive

Cummins NTA855-R2 diesel engine × 2 per Kiha 183 DMU (originally SA6D140HE Mitsubishi diesel in JR Hokkaido service; rebuilt under JICA)

Track Gauge

1,000mm (metre gauge) — original French Chemins de Fer de l'Indochine alignment built 1960–1969

Braking Technology

Air brakes (modern rolling stock); electromagnetic rail brake on the Kiha 183 DMU; pneumatic wheel-slip detection

Route Engineering Challenges

  • Single-track operation with passing loops at Takeo, Touk Meas, Angkor Chey, Kep, Kampot, Veal Renh and Prey Nob — schedule reliability depends on disciplined passing-loop management

  • Colonial-era bridges (especially the Prek Tnaot River and Prek Kong bridges near Takeo) require 25 km/h speed restrictions after 50+ years of deferred maintenance

  • Seasonal flooding risk on low-lying sections south of Prek Phnov — embankment raising works completed 2014–2017 reduced but did not eliminate the risk

  • Mixed traffic sharing the line with the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port freight service — passenger trains wait 15–30 minutes at passing loops for freight consists

  • Conversion from Chinese YDM4-hauled stock to Kiha 183 DMUs required re-coupling the entire fleet to the new automatic couplers and re-training drivers and conductors on the new braking systems (completed April 2024)

  • Wheel slip during the green-season rice-flooding period requires the DMU's sanders to be operational; sand replenishment is undertaken at Phnom Penh depot before each southbound departure

Track age

Original French colonial construction 1960–1969, abandoned 1970s, fully rehabilitated 2014–2016 by Royal Railway Cambodia

Max speed

70 km/h (Kiha 183 DMU capability) — restricted to 40 km/h on most of the line due to track condition

Line length

264 km (Phnom Penh Royal Station to Sihanoukville Port Junction)

Status

Operational — passenger service resumed April 2016; current Kiha 183 DMU stock from April 2024

Operator

Royal Railway Cambodia (Toll Royal Railway BOT concession, 30-year term, expires 2046)

Parent group

Toll Holdings (Australia) and Royal Group of Cambodia

Number of DMUs in service

Three ex-JR Hokkaido Kiha 183 series 2-car sets, donated under JICA soft loan

Capacity per DMU

~150 seated passengers (2-car set, 2+2 configuration)

Journey time

6 hours 36 minutes southbound (07:00→13:36); 6 hours northbound (14:00→20:00)

Passing loops

Seven: Takeo, Touk Meas, Angkor Chey, Kep, Kampot, Veal Renh, Prey Nob

Currency

USD cash and credit card (Visa/MasterCard) at Phnom Penh station booking office; USD cash onboard

Quick Facts
  • Duration

    6.6 hours

  • Distance

    264 km

  • Est. Price

    Budget (USD 9–14 for seats)

Official Booking Provider