Bamboo Train Rides


These trains, known as “norry” in Khmer, consist of a wooden frame, bamboo decking, an engine and wheels that come from a bust-up wartime tank. They chug up and down the railway line between Battambang and the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

Naturally, they are illegal, but tolerated because they are so useful – and in any case there is only one real train a week up and down the line. Bamboo trains are used for carrying people as well as freight.

A trip on one of these can be booked through most hotels, or you can arrange it through your local motorbike taxi or tuk-tuk driver. 

Instead of a train with carriages, the Battambang bamboo train is in fact a metal frame with bamboo slats that sits on two axles with wheels. It is used to transport people and goods up and down the railway. The bamboo slats form the base on which the passengers, goods and livestock sit. It can carry anything that will fit on it, even motorcycles. It is also used to transport the rice in the harvest season. The Cambodian name for the train is norry. It is an ingenious invention. After the days of the Khmer Rouge, the land mines were cleared from the tracks, and the local residents built dozens of these miniature trains. 

Find Out More Related Tours

Tonle Bati, Phnom Penh

Tonle Bati, Phnom Penh

Tonle Bati is a small lake and popular picnic spot for the locals - bamboo ...

More Detail
The Children of Bassac

The Children of Bassac

This show gives them the opportunity to perform and earn a living from ...

More Detail
Prampi Chaon Beach

Prampi Chaon Beach

The beach is short and narrow, and the waves are bigger that at other ...

More Detail
Pich Chenda Waterfall

Pich Chenda Waterfall

Pich Chenda, Battambang is one of the premier destinations in Cambodia ...

More Detail
The 100-Column Pagoda

The 100-Column Pagoda

The 100-Column Pagoda is located at Sam Bor District in 36-kilometer ...

More Detail
Tum Pek Pagoda

Tum Pek Pagoda

Tum Pek Pagoda Located at Krang Yau Commune, Sa ang District, Kandal ...

More Detail