Chan Kimleng explained that operators and owners of nori bamboo trains had been told they could no longer use the line. Battambang’s tourism bureau director says that the relaunch of train services between Phnom Penh and Poipet might not necessarily mean the nori trains will hit the buffers.
Omthiny Sara elucidated by saying that pending approval by rail services franchisee Royal Railway a 12km section of track could be relocated just for the nori trains. He noted that riding the bamboo train had proved to be a popular tourist activity in recent years.
12GO ASIA says noris are small train bogeys equipped with wooden platforms and small engines. They were used to transport passengers and commodities in the 1970s and 1980s and have been a permanent fixture on the line since the last Battambang to Phnom Penh train departed back in 2009.
Cambodia Battambang bamboo trains may be relocated to new line
News in Asia
The recommissioning of Cambodia’s northern rail line means the quirky Battambang bamboo trains will have to find a new home. The head of the Public Works and Transport Ministry’s rail division says work on restoring the line from Battambang to Pursat will commence next month.