Thailand promises Cambodia new trains for international rail link
An undersecretary at Cambodia’s Transport Ministry says Thailand has made a verbal promise to supply trains for a soon to reopen rail link. Ly Borin told reporters that Thai authorities had not so far put the pledge in writing, but said they would provide four trains in three to four months time.
The new trains will be utilised on services running between Battambang and Poipet on the Cambodian side of the border with Thailand. Poipet is in Banteay Meanchey province. Once the rail route is operational, passengers will be able to travel to Aranyaprathet on the Thai side of the border.
When this rail line was first connected up in the 1930s, it allowed passengers to travel all the way from Phnom Penh to Bangkok by train. Service from Battambang to Poipet and Thailand was scrapped by the French colonial government in the 1940s. Due to the dilapidated state of the line, train services between Phnom Penh and Battambang were suspended in 2009.
Ly Borin says final tests will be carried out on the Battambang to Thailand section of the line by July. Buses are at present the most convenient means of travel on routes between Phnom Penh, Bangkok and Aranyaprathet. 12GO ASIA offers advance ticket reservations services for these routes.
Municipal authorities in Cambodia’s Kompong Thom Province say the recent UNESCO designation of a temple complex has led to a surge in visitor numbers. UNESCO added the province’s temples of Sambor Prei Kuk to the World Heritage Site list on 8 July.
Thailand’s one and only drum making village is preparing to stage an annual festival dedicated to showcasing the percussion instrument. The Ang Thong International Drum Festival will take place between the 26 and 30 July at locations in the province’s Ekkarat Sub-district.
Transport authorities in Hanoi say numerous tourists have taken advantage of the city’s new transportation option for sightseeing. The bright red double-decker bus looks as though it could have been plucked from the streets of London and even has the same open upper deck as the sightseeing buses there.
