Phnom Penh City Guide - Getting There By Rail

There are two lines in Cambodia, from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville and Battambang. For many years the train was the target of the Khmer Rouge and was very unsafe to use. In recent years the train did run, but was a very slow way of travelling (approx 12 hours to Sihanoukville and Battambang, compared to 4 and 6 hours respectively by road) and distinctly uncomfortable on hard, wooden seats. It also breaks down frequently as it is very neglected. Now, there is only a weekly departure to Battambang and no longer any passenger trains to Sihanoukville. You can only buy tickets on the day in person. The Asian Development Bank has launched a project that will restore rail traffic between Cambodia and Thailand by 2010.