Aranyaprathet - Poi Pet rail line to reopen after 54 years

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Aranyaprathet - Poi Pet rail line to reopen after 54 years

 

   

SA KAEO, 9 April 2019 (NNT) – Thailand’s Ministry of Transport is set to reopen services on the Aranyaprathet - Poi Pet railway connecting Thailand’s and Cambodia’s rail networks.

 

Thailand’s Minister of Transport, Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, led a team of ministerial executives to follow up on the construction and facilities management at Ban Khlong Luek Border Crossing Temporary Railway Station in the Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo, and checked the tracks in preparation for the reopening of Aranyaprathet - Poi Pet railway service on 22 April 2019.

 

Services on the Aranyaprathet - Poi Pet railway have been suspended since 1965. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has renovated the line by improving its structural integrity, changing railway sleepers, rails, braces, junctions and replacing the ballast.

 

The SRT is now negotiating the contract for a service operator between Thailand and Cambodia. The deal is expected to be signed soon in a ceremony at which a diesel locomotive will be delivered as a token of good relations between the two countries.

 

The reopening of the Aranyaprathet - Poi Pet railway will help improve the convenience and speed of both passenger and cargo transport between Thailand and Cambodia, enhancing ties in the ASEAN community and promoting tourism between both sides.

 

 -- © Copyright nnt 2019-04-09

[Captain_Bob]

All 7 km of it? Woo hoo! Step in the right direction at least ???? 

[khwaibah]

Can hardly wait.????

 

 

[yellowboat]

Good news.  

[bender92]

Too bad the train runs to Battambang instead of Siem Reap, where most tourists go.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 minutes ago, bender92 said:

Too bad the train runs to Battambang instead of Siem Reap, where most tourists go.

 

So if this border crossing rail link actually comes to life, where exactly does the Cambodia service on the other side stop at, and ultimately terminate at?

 

[hotchilli]

[observer90210]

To bad it goes to that border where they are reputed to be the harshest and most un-farang friendy.

[Burma Bill]

On 4/9/2019 at 3:48 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

So if this border crossing rail link actually comes to life, where exactly does the Cambodia service on the other side stop at, and ultimately terminate at?

 

First, there was never a railway from Poipet to Siem Reap. The railway was built in French colonial days between Poipet and Phnom Penh, hence the route via Battambang. The new upgraded service will eventually run on the old route, part of which was the famous "Bamboo Railway" which has now been relocated near Battambang. New track and ballast has been laid in Battambang as I saw on a recent visit. The railway was used by Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge but used only for the transportation of "people". Many of the trains were driven by young boy soldiers as this picture shows.

 

Edited April 11, 2019 by Burma Bill
additional information

[overherebc]

On 4/9/2019 at 11:04 PM, observer90210 said:

To bad it goes to that border where they are reputed to be the harshest and most un-farang friendy.

Depending on the timetable it could make things quicker.

Get rejected entry quickly and you might manage to catch the return easily. ????

[gomangosteen]

We were in Sa Kaeo yesterday, near the train station and took a few minutes there, the 10.33 from Bangkok was on time, stopped less than two minutes then onwards to Aranyaprathet

 

As the new piece of line is a short extension, the timetables may not change

 

Here we are, I present to you the Sa Kaeo Railway Station

 

 

 

 

Current timetable: