【ポルポトも乗車した魔改造気動車！】カンボジアの鉄道、乗ってみた！

【ポルポトも乗車した魔改造気動車！】カンボジアの鉄道、乗ってみた！

Welcome to Overseas Railway Channel! We are currently in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. This time we will take a ride on the Cambodian railway. I can’t even imagine what kind of cars are running on the Cambodian railways. Phnom Penh’s terminal station, Phnom Penh Royal Station, is located in the center of town.

There is a glass skyscraper in front of the station, making it a central location in Phnom Penh. The station building is an Art Deco building built in 1932 during the French colonial period. The inside waiting room looks like this. It is a building with a very elegant atmosphere.

At night, the signboard with Khmer characters shines brightly. It’s nice to have an exotic feel! Let’s go get on the train right away! In the early morning, the main entrance is closed and the entrance for passengers is on the side of the station building.

There is a signboard for passengers, so follow the directions and go around to the back of the station building. The inside of the station is lush with greenery and looks like a garden. It’s a spacious space. The platform has a one-sided, two-track structure, which is rather lonely for a terminal station.

There is a ticket office in front of the platform. Cambodia has a railway line that extends from Phnom Penh to the north and south, and is operated by the Cambodia Royal Railway, which is affiliated with the major conglomerate Royal Group. There are very few passenger trains in Cambodia.

There are only two round trips in total, one round trip to the north and one round trip to the south. Does that mean there is only one train per day in each direction? That’s right.

Both the Northern and Southern lines depart from Phnom Penh in the early morning, turn around at the end of the day in the afternoon, and return to Phnom Penh in the evening.

The current time is 6:30. The northern line train bound for Battambang at 6:40 a.m. and the south line train bound for Sihanoukville at 7 o’clock are waiting to depart, and the station is crowded with passengers.

There are roughly four types of passenger trains in Cambodia, and you won’t know which type you’ll get until the day of the train. Today, the Northern Line will be operated by the former SRT Japanese-made diesel railcar RHN, and the Southern Line will be operated by the old European-made ZZ800 diesel railcar.

There is a sign on the platform with the destination and departure time written on it. By the way, the train does not have a destination display. It’s an analog train guide. This time, let’s ride the ZZ800 and go to Sihanoukville, the last stop on the southern line. ZZ800 has an unfamiliar appearance!

This diesel car is manufactured by Waggonfabrik Uerdingen in Germany. Two three-car trains were built, but these are the only two that survive as diesel trains. The other cars had their driver’s windows blocked and turned into passenger cars. Although it is not self-propelled, it seems to still be in active use.

Since it was made in 1969, it is a vehicle that experienced the Pol Pot regime. Apparently, Pol Pot once rode in this vehicle to tour the region, and there are still photographs of Pol Pot and other government officials taken inside the vehicle, which appears to be a ZZ800.

It’s understandable since it was the latest vehicle at the time. ZZ800 has been updated many times. The original headlights were buried due to the change to a new paint job around 2020, but the protruding lights remain.

It looks like it’s about to be taken off. By the way, what do the red and white patterns all over the vehicle mean? This is a 3M reflective tape that seems to be attached for self-protection at night.

The ZZ800 was originally a three-car train, which has now been shortened to a two-car train, but the only powered vehicle is the one on the Phnom Penh side. The engine is huge and occupies about 1/3 of the vehicle on the Phnom Penh side.

It looks like it could be called a power-concentrated train. The ZZ800 can also be operated while towing a non-powered vehicle. Today’s train consists of 4 cars. One luggage car and one passenger car are connected to the back of the ZZ800.

It’s a train with mixed cargo and passengers. The luggage car is a very old vehicle. You can load passenger bikes. There are trains in Japan where you can pack your bike, but being able to ride the train with your bike is a novel service.

There are similar trains in Vietnam that can carry motorcycles. In countries in Southeast Asia, where the prevalence of motorcycles is high, there is a certain level of demand for motorcycle trains, and they seem to be actively adopting these services as they can differentiate them from rival highway buses.

At 6:40, the train bound for Battambang departed from the platform next door. This vehicle is RHN. It is a Japanese-made diesel car. Manufactured by Hitachi in 1971. Originally operated by SRT, the two-car Japan train was transferred to Cambodia in 2019.

It really does look like a Japanese-made vehicle. RHN is currently the main vehicle in Cambodia and is frequently used. The train to Sihanoukville is about to depart, so let’s get inside. The walls are dark blue and have a calming atmosphere.

The interior is different for each vehicle. The first vehicle has box seats, and the second powered vehicle has convertible cross seats. There is a mysterious step in the center of the vehicle, and the floor on the Phnom Penh side is lower.

It’s a strange design. The third passenger car has almost the same box seats as the first car, but the difference is that the ceiling is blue. By the way, there is no difference in fare depending on the on-board facilities, and it is an unreserved seat.

If you look closely, you’ll see that it has a home air conditioner. That’s right. The ZZ800 originally did not have air conditioning, but it was forcibly cooled by installing a home air conditioner.

It is quite strange to see so many household air conditioners installed inside the car. Is there a place to install an outdoor unit? Take a close look under the floor of the car. There’s an outdoor unit painted brown hanging there. Surprisingly, there is plenty of space under the floor.

It seems that there are several types of air conditioners in use , as they are not intended for the original purpose of the air conditioner, so they sometimes break down and are replaced . They also use air conditioners made by Japanese companies.

There are signs in French in many places inside the car, such as the driver’s cabin door and car number display. I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that Cambodia’s former colonial power was France?

Perhaps due to these circumstances, the ZZ800 is sometimes introduced as being made by France’s Alstom, but it is actually made in Germany. Let’s wait for a while until the train departs. The train left Phnom Penh Royal Station exactly on time at 7 o’clock.

The train I’m on is bound for Sihanoukville. It stops at 13 stations along the way. Arrival times at major stations are Takeo at 8:40, Kep at 10:20, Kompot at 10:40, and the final stop at Sihanoukville is scheduled to arrive at 12:40. It takes more than 5 hours to get to Sihanoukville.

Immediately after leaving Phnom Penh Station, there are many branching lines and railroad crossings, so the journey is slow. Shortly after leaving the station, you will see a garage on your left. You can see the mysterious vehicles of the Cambodia Royal Railway. The train passes through the city of Phnom Penh and passes through the peaceful countryside. During the rainy season in Cambodia, water is everywhere. There are a lot of free-range cows living in this area, and it seems they sometimes invade the railroad tracks.

The train travels slowly while sounding its whistle, and occasionally slows down suddenly to avoid collisions with cows. Trains colliding with cows in Cambodia seem to be a daily occurrence. It seems difficult to run on time while avoiding the cows…The

Uniquely shaped tree you can see now is a staghorn palm. Sugar can be obtained from the seeds, and the leaves are used as building materials and paper for Buddhist scriptures. It is a plant that is deeply related to Cambodian culture and is also planted on the side of Angkor Wat.

The sight of palm trees growing out of the plains is a sight to behold. The train arrived at Takeo station at 8:40. It’s a station name like Takeo Onsen in Kyushu. Takeo is the site of a camp for the Self-Defense Forces dispatched for peacekeeping operations, and is a land with ties to Japan.

We will stop at this station for 10 minutes for a break. It’s like a high-speed bus with a break along the way. A kiosk selling water and sweets is open at Takeo Station. They are sold by Royal Railway staff, and the shops seem to be operated directly by the railway.

This was a blessing as there was no on-board sales even though the ride was over 5 hours. [music] 13:42 The train arrived at its final stop, Sihanoukville Station, about an hour late. Sihanoukville is Cambodia’s largest koan city and is also a resort area for Chinese people, with many Chinese-owned casino hotels. You’re quite late. That’s right. Cambodian trains are often subject to long delays, so be careful when using them.

This is what Sihanouk Station looks like from the outside. It’s a bare, unpaved place. Containers are piled up in front of the station, typical of a port city. It’s a sight you wouldn’t expect to see in front of a station in a major city.

That’s all for this video. If you are interested in Cambodian railways, please watch this video. We look forward to hearing your opinions and comments. Please give us a high rating and subscribe to our channel. Well then, Thank you for your viewing!

海外の鉄道旅を実況形式でお届けする「ゆっくり海外鉄 旅シリーズ」
カンボジア・ロイヤル鉄道　プノンペン・シハヌークビル間の乗車記録です！
列車：ZZ800 DMU
※2023年10月に行った現地での取材に基づき制作しています。

0:00 オープニング
2:05 気動車ZZ800
5:59 プノンペン駅を出発
10:19 シハヌークビル到着

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【ゆっくり解説】カンボジアの鉄道