The Department of Rail Transport (DRT) plans to launch the first cross-border freight train service between Thailand and Cambodia in September 2024. The route will run from Map Ta Phut Railway Station in Rayong Province, Thailand, to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, covering approximately 691 kilometers. The freight service will be operated by Global Multimodal Logistics Co., Ltd. (GML), a subsidiary of PTT, with two weekly trains transporting petroleum products such as plastic pellets, engine oil, and brake fluid.
Pichet Kunathammarak, Director-General of the Department of Rail Transport, revealed that the first test run of the cross-border freight service took place late last year, transporting plastic pellets and engine oil to Phnom Penh via Poipet Station in Cambodia. While there were no issues with the train operation, problems arose with customs inspections. The cargo had to be unloaded from the train onto trucks for inspection at the customs office, located 2 kilometers from Poipet Station, before being reloaded onto the train for onward transport to Phnom Penh. This process was inconvenient and time-consuming.
To address this issue, both countries have established a joint working group to expedite improvements in the customs inspection process, allowing goods to be inspected directly at the destination in Phnom Penh. Preparations are currently underway to enhance various aspects of the rail freight service to ensure maximum efficiency, convenience, and time savings, in line with the Ministry of Transport’s policy to integrate Thailand’s rail freight system with the broader ASEAN rail network.
Regarding passenger rail services between Thailand and Cambodia, Deputy Minister of Transport, Surapong Piyachote, has expedited efforts to achieve progress, with the aim of launching cross-border passenger train services by 2025. Currently, there is a rail service connecting Bangkok (Hua Lamphong) and Ban Klong Luk, covering a distance of 260.23 kilometers, with two daily trains. However, passengers must transfer to other transportation to continue their journey into Cambodia. In the future, it is expected that passengers will be able to travel from Ban Klong Luk Station directly to Poipet and Serei Saophoan in Cambodia, covering a distance of approximately 30 kilometers, with an additional travel time of about 1 hour.