Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Share Taxis
In these days of improving roads, pick-up trucks are losing ground to 'express minibuses' or pumped-up
Toyota Camrys that have their suspension jacked up like monster trucks. When using share taxis or pick-
ups, it is an advantage to travel in numbers, as you can buy spare seats to make the journey more comfort-
able. Double the price for the front seat and quadruple it for the entire back row. It is important to remember
that there aren't necessarily fixed prices on every route, so you have to negotiate, and prices do fluctuate
with the price of petrol.
Share taxis are widely available for hire. For major destinations they can be hired individually, or you can
pay for a seat and wait for other passengers to turn up. Guesthouses are also very helpful when it comes to
arranging share taxis, at a price, of course.
Train
Cambodia's rail system is, like the old road network, one of the most notorious in Asia. There are currently
no passenger services, but this may change as the railway continues to be rehabilitated by a private com-
pany. Eventually, the Cambodian network will be plugged into the Trans-Asian Railway, which will eventu-
ally link Singapore and China, but connecting Phnom Penh with Ho Chi Minh City via a Mekong bridge
will take a few years yet.
The rail network consists of about 645km of single-track metre-gauge lines. The 385km northwestern
line, built before WWII, links Phnom Penh with Pursat and Battambang. The 254km southwestern line,
which was completed in 1969, connects Phnom Penh with Takeo, Kampot and Sihanoukville. The prettiest
sections of the network are between Takeo and Kampot and from there to Sihanoukville.
