Bamboo Trains

Cambodia’s rail system was, for years, a cruel joke.

It consisted of a single line. Trains seldom ran. When they did run, the warped, gapped, sometimes missing tracks provided a ride that maxed out around 20 miles per hour and could easily double the time of any other form of transportation. Again, that’s if the trains ran. 

The “Bamboo Trains,” or “noory” have been a source of transportation, commerce, and communication for those living in parts of Cambodia where access to solid roads, buses, and other automobiles was for years underdeveloped or non-existent.

Unlike the hulking carriages and engines of the national line, the bamboo trains are a tinier, simpler affair—a masterpiece of necessity engineering. The body of a norry consists of a single queen-size platform, often made of bamboo, which lies on a metal undercarriage. Steel wheels on a pair of axles lie underneath. A belt wraps around the rear axle and is connected to a lawnmower or boat engine mounted on the rear of the platform. The driver yanks a cord to start it up, the engine emits its mosquito-on-steroids whine, and down the tracks it goes. Nearly a dozen passengers, livestock, or produce and other goods (or any combination thereof) can come along for the ride. The bamboo trains connect small villages and provide a means of transport for both people and goods in areas otherwise unserved.

As it is a single line of parallel rails, with travelers going in both directions, a little etiquette is called for. When two noory meet on this single line of track, the lighter train stops, empties its load, the drivers and passengers disassemble the entire operation, removing it from the track so the other noory can pass. Then, they reassemble it, re-start the engine, and on their way they go, once again. It all takes about a minute.

The bamboo trains were once found outside of numerous provincial towns anywhere railroad tracks had been laid. It was possible to take the bamboo trains from Battambang to Phnom Penh.

As of January 2018, a new dedicated track has been built for the Bamboo Railway, due to the existing line being restored and reinstated for passenger trains and freight services later in 2018. The norry outside of Battambang are the last in existence.

A ride on the bamboo trains, perhaps with a chicken, some dogs, and fellow Cambodians, is a great way to see some of the backcountry and to get a feel (bring a cushion) for just how bad the train tracks once were. All aboard!