Today, as the Southeast Asian railway network accelerates its formation, Cambodia's railway system is like a stumbling old man.

When the high-speed trains of neighboring countries whizzed past, the trains here still slowly crawled on the meter rails left over from the colonial period at a speed of less than 50 kilometers per hour. The 264 kilometer journey from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville Port takes 6 and a half hours by train and only 3 hours by car.

By 2025, the annual railway passenger volume will only be 400000, which is even less than a fraction of the road passenger volume. This huge gap is forcing Cambodia to complete an epic railway overhaul within the next five years.

Intestinal obstruction in the Golden Channel

At present, the total length of railways in Cambodia is only 646 kilometers, consisting of the northern line (Phnom Penh Pobe) and the southern line (Phnom Penh Sihanoukville). Although the government has released the "2023-2033 Comprehensive Multimodal Transport Plan" with a total investment of over 10 billion US dollars in 2023, and even set a target of a speed of 160 kilometers per hour, the vast majority of projects are still stuck in the feasibility study stage.

Reality is fragile: the existing lines are severely aging and the transportation capacity is saturated; Although the newly built light rail systems from Phnom Penh to Dechong Airport and from Siem Reap to Angkor Airport have been included in the priority list, there is still a huge gap in funding and technology. The proportion of railway transportation in the national logistics system is negligible, which not only restricts economic development, but also makes its dream of becoming a regional hub gradually fade away.

The encirclement of the Pan Asian Railway network is forcing

The other side of crisis is opportunity. With the outbreak of railway construction in neighboring countries, Cambodia is being pushed into the core gear of the eastern route of the Pan Asian Railway. Looking east, the first phase of the China Thailand high-speed railway project is progressing smoothly, and the second phase is expected to be fully operational by 2031, directly towards the Cambodian border; Looking west, the China Vietnam cross-border standard gauge and the North South high-speed railway in Vietnam are advancing; Looking north, the China Laos railway is in good operation. The Vientiane Yong'an Port railway from Laos to Vietnam is expected to start in 2026.

This tightening regional road network is actually an ultimatum to Cambodia. If the northern line renovation and key hub construction cannot be completed before 2030, Cambodia will not only be unable to absorb the logistics dividends overflowing from China and Vietnam, but may also become a dead end of the regional railway network.

The window period is fleeting, if you don't advance, you will fall behind

There is not much time left for the Cambodian railway to turn over. With the gradual closure of the China Laos Thailand and China Vietnam railways, 2026-2030 will be a critical window period for Cambodia to avoid being left out of the regional supply chain. This not only requires billions of dollars in real gold and silver, but also requires breaking down administrative barriers and making railways truly become the main artery connecting land and sea. Keywords: Southeast Asian news, Cambodia, railway transportation

When the neighboring country's trains honk and approach the border, Cambodia's railway tracks must wake up as soon as possible, otherwise it will forever be just an awkward dotted line on the map of Southeast AsiaEditor/Cheng Liting