Restoring the Kingdom's rails
Thursday, 06 May 2010 15:00
Ellie Dyer
Renovation project sees resurrection of capitalβs rail station, track network
NEW life is being breathed into Phnom Penh Railway Station as a multi-million-dollar project to restore Cambodiaβs decrepit rail system gathers steam.
Formally a graveyard for rusting Soviet-era locomotives, the site has been transformed into a hive of activity over the past few months as Toll Royal Railways (TRR) pours an estimated US$80,000 into renovating the Kingdomβs trains and freight stations.
Six locomotives β some armoured with thick metal sheeting and bearing the scars of Cambodiaβs long civil war, a wood-fired steam engine, a passenger train and even the Royal carriage β are being refurbished in preparation for the launch of Cambodiaβs new-look railway system in October this year, according to TRR officials speaking Wednesday.
The Kingdomβs rail system is undergoing a complete overhaul with $141.1 million in funding from the Asian Development Bank, AusAID and Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Companies (OPEC). It is hoped that the project will boost trade by improving the Kingdomβs railways, which were built in 1929 and last upgraded in the 1960s before civil war damaged much of the network.
βCambodiaβs railway was thought to be one of the worst networks in the world,β said David Kerr, TRRβs chief executive officer, speaking from his office nestled behind Phnom Penhβs iconic station, which opened in 1932.
According to anecdotal evidence, Kerr said, the last train to run the 264-kilometre track to Sihanoukville from Phnom Penh this year took 28 hours to reach its destination. The new service should take only eight.
But, the task of restoring the capitalβs station to become a hub for a regular train service is huge.
βIt was like a jungle when we first came here,β said Toll Royal Railways Chief Operation Officer John Guiry on Wednesday, wandering past rusting skeletons of freight carriages jumbled in heaps to the side of the railway site, which stretches for 4.5 kilometres.
Mountains of disused train parts were left to decay in the open, he said, as Cambodia ran a limited service, which, according to previous Post reports, garnered just $1.5 million in revenue in 2008.
Restoring relics
However, as the railway project gathers pace, time and effort are being put into the enormous task of restoring ageing models from the Czech Republic, France and Russia to run on tracks, now being transformed across the country by development partners.
βMost of these trains are 40 to 50 years old. Many have been derailed or seen combat during the Khmer Rouge regime. We are removing armour plating,β Guiry said, pointing to the bullet holes in one locomotive.
Australia-based Toll has teamed up with the Royal Group in order to carry out the station project. So far, more than $1 million has been spent improving the Phnom Penh Railway Station site, which had fallen into disrepair. Copious white ant colonies have been wiped out, and more than 2,000 square metres of rubbish have been removed from the area.
Officials with TRR, which hopes to employ up to 670 people in the future, say the project remains on schedule.
Renovated trains are being test-run on 118 kilometres of track from Phnom Penh to Touk Meas, which services Kampotβs cement industry, and preliminary runs are imminent on parts of a 338-kilometre stretch of track leading to Battambang and [Poipet], Kerr said.
Surveys are also under way on the much-anticipated link between Vietnam and Cambodia, which has been billed as bridging a gap in the proposed Trans-Asia Railway (TAR) linking Singapore to Kunming, the capital of southwestern Chinaβs Yunnan province.
Passenger service
The feasibility of running domestic passenger trains β one of which has been refurbished β is also being investigated, and there is an intention to protect Phnom Penhβs historic station from further damage in the rainy season. The wood-burning steam engine is being repaired for βspecial occasionsβ, according to Kerr and Guiry.
Limited freight service is set to begin in October, with trains from the capital running to Sihanoukville and Battambang in May 2011 and May 2012, respectively.
However, despite the progress, concerns remain.
Toll believes that for the railway to become tenable it needs direct access to the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, which is set for renovation. Kerr called the project a βdead duckβ if the link isnβt made, as without it the cost of freight transportation would spiral βdramaticallyβ.
According to Kerr, the move is being stalled by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which is funding the port project.
βNegotiations are in progress between all parties,β Kerr added.
JICA representative Iwai Masaaki and an office spokeswoman declined to comment Wednesday. The spokeswoman stated that queries regarding the railway should not be directed at the organisation.
The future of the thousands of villagers who live in the βcorridor of impactβ around the railway is also being considered. According to a document produced by the governmentβs inter-ministerial resettlement committee, about 2,629 households live in close proximity to the railway tracks affected by the renovation throughout Cambodia.
A synopsis of a January meeting, carried out earlier this year to discuss relocation and compensation in Phnom Penh, showed that some villagers are concerned about the impact of relocation on their businesses.
So far, said Kerr, the track-side population has been enthusiastic about the plans. But whether this will prove the case as the relocation plan progresses remains to be seen.
Thursday, 06 May 2010 15:00
Ellie Dyer
Renovation project sees resurrection of capitalβs rail station, track network
NEW life is being breathed into Phnom Penh Railway Station as a multi-million-dollar project to restore Cambodiaβs decrepit rail system gathers steam.
Formally a graveyard for rusting Soviet-era locomotives, the site has been transformed into a hive of activity over the past few months as Toll Royal Railways (TRR) pours an estimated US$80,000 into renovating the Kingdomβs trains and freight stations.
Six locomotives β some armoured with thick metal sheeting and bearing the scars of Cambodiaβs long civil war, a wood-fired steam engine, a passenger train and even the Royal carriage β are being refurbished in preparation for the launch of Cambodiaβs new-look railway system in October this year, according to TRR officials speaking Wednesday.
The Kingdomβs rail system is undergoing a complete overhaul with $141.1 million in funding from the Asian Development Bank, AusAID and Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Companies (OPEC). It is hoped that the project will boost trade by improving the Kingdomβs railways, which were built in 1929 and last upgraded in the 1960s before civil war damaged much of the network.
βCambodiaβs railway was thought to be one of the worst networks in the world,β said David Kerr, TRRβs chief executive officer, speaking from his office nestled behind Phnom Penhβs iconic station, which opened in 1932.
According to anecdotal evidence, Kerr said, the last train to run the 264-kilometre track to Sihanoukville from Phnom Penh this year took 28 hours to reach its destination. The new service should take only eight.
But, the task of restoring the capitalβs station to become a hub for a regular train service is huge.
βIt was like a jungle when we first came here,β said Toll Royal Railways Chief Operation Officer John Guiry on Wednesday, wandering past rusting skeletons of freight carriages jumbled in heaps to the side of the railway site, which stretches for 4.5 kilometres.
Mountains of disused train parts were left to decay in the open, he said, as Cambodia ran a limited service, which, according to previous Post reports, garnered just $1.5 million in revenue in 2008.
Restoring relics
However, as the railway project gathers pace, time and effort are being put into the enormous task of restoring ageing models from the Czech Republic, France and Russia to run on tracks, now being transformed across the country by development partners.
βMost of these trains are 40 to 50 years old. Many have been derailed or seen combat during the Khmer Rouge regime. We are removing armour plating,β Guiry said, pointing to the bullet holes in one locomotive.
Australia-based Toll has teamed up with the Royal Group in order to carry out the station project. So far, more than $1 million has been spent improving the Phnom Penh Railway Station site, which had fallen into disrepair. Copious white ant colonies have been wiped out, and more than 2,000 square metres of rubbish have been removed from the area.
Officials with TRR, which hopes to employ up to 670 people in the future, say the project remains on schedule.
Renovated trains are being test-run on 118 kilometres of track from Phnom Penh to Touk Meas, which services Kampotβs cement industry, and preliminary runs are imminent on parts of a 338-kilometre stretch of track leading to Battambang and [Poipet], Kerr said.
Surveys are also under way on the much-anticipated link between Vietnam and Cambodia, which has been billed as bridging a gap in the proposed Trans-Asia Railway (TAR) linking Singapore to Kunming, the capital of southwestern Chinaβs Yunnan province.
Passenger service
The feasibility of running domestic passenger trains β one of which has been refurbished β is also being investigated, and there is an intention to protect Phnom Penhβs historic station from further damage in the rainy season. The wood-burning steam engine is being repaired for βspecial occasionsβ, according to Kerr and Guiry.
Limited freight service is set to begin in October, with trains from the capital running to Sihanoukville and Battambang in May 2011 and May 2012, respectively.
However, despite the progress, concerns remain.
Toll believes that for the railway to become tenable it needs direct access to the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, which is set for renovation. Kerr called the project a βdead duckβ if the link isnβt made, as without it the cost of freight transportation would spiral βdramaticallyβ.
According to Kerr, the move is being stalled by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which is funding the port project.
βNegotiations are in progress between all parties,β Kerr added.
JICA representative Iwai Masaaki and an office spokeswoman declined to comment Wednesday. The spokeswoman stated that queries regarding the railway should not be directed at the organisation.
The future of the thousands of villagers who live in the βcorridor of impactβ around the railway is also being considered. According to a document produced by the governmentβs inter-ministerial resettlement committee, about 2,629 households live in close proximity to the railway tracks affected by the renovation throughout Cambodia.
A synopsis of a January meeting, carried out earlier this year to discuss relocation and compensation in Phnom Penh, showed that some villagers are concerned about the impact of relocation on their businesses.
So far, said Kerr, the track-side population has been enthusiastic about the plans. But whether this will prove the case as the relocation plan progresses remains to be seen.