Battambang

ក្រុងបាត់ដំបង
General information
LocationKrong Battambang
Battambang Province
Cambodia
Operated byRoyal Railways of Cambodia[1]
Line(s)Phnom Penh–Poipet Line
Platforms1 island platform
1 side platform
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
History
Opened1953
Closed2009
Rebuilt2018
Services
Preceding station Royal Railways Following station
Thmor Kor
towards Poipet
 Phnom Penh–Poipet Phnom Thiphdei
towards Phnom Penh

Battambang Royal railway station is a railway station in Battambang, the capital city of Battambang province in northwestern Cambodia. It was opened in 1953 and is operated by Royal Railways of Cambodia (Chemins de Fer Royaux du Cambodge).

Location

The station and its rail tracks are at the Phnom Penh–Poipet(–Bangkok) line at the west side of the town Battambang in Battambang province.

Buildings

Battambang Royal Railway Station, 2009

The station building is well preserved and was repainted after taking the track out. The clock above the entrance stands still at 8:02 o'clock since an unknown day.

As of January 2018 the rail tracks are being replaced. Beyond them, there are ruined remains of warehouses, signal boxes and rolling stock. Although dilapidated, some of them are use for living, storage or business.[2]

Railway line

Platform of Battambang Royal railway station, 2009

The line through Battambang has a gauge of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) (metre gauge). It was completed by the Thais, after the French had done the groundbreaking work during World War II. Battambang was occupied by Thailand during the war.

The railway was heavily attacked by artillery during the Cambodian Civil War, and the Khmer Rouge sabotaged the track at several locations.[2] Limited rail traffic was provided in the 1980s between Battambang and Phnom Penh. The ride covering the distance of less than 300 kilometres (190 mi) lasted 14 hours. However, a road trip lasted 2–3 days and was more demanding and dangerous.[2] Railway services were completely cancelled in 2009 due to poor track conditions, but the line has been reopened in July 2018. Trains to the Thai border now operate every second day, and a service from Phnom Penh to Bangkok is planned.[3]

List of stations

Trivia

Bamboo Railway in south-east Battambang

Approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south-east of Battambang Royal railway station started the norry or Bamboo Train.[6][7][8]

References

  1. ↑ Royal Railways (Cambodia)
  2. 1 2 3 Battambang Railway Station. Archived 17 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine 2 November 2016. Downloaded on 16 November 2017.
  3. ↑ Seat61: Seat61 News August 2018 Downloaded on 3 August 2018.
  4. ↑ Old Battambang Railway Station.
  5. ↑ "Panoramio". Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  6. ↑ SilverBackpacker: Battambang Railway Station and Cambodian Railways. Downloaded on 16 November 2017.
  7. ↑ Mit dem Bamboo-Train durch Kambodscha.
  8. ↑ Stefan Loose: Reiseführer Südostasien: Die Mekong Region. DuMont Reiseverlag, 2013. p. 546. (German)

Media related to Battambang train station at Wikimedia Commons

13°05′52″N 103°11′40″E / 13.097868°N 103.194539°E / 13.097868; 103.194539

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