Cambodia072013

29 JUNE 2013 - BATTAMBANG, CAMBODIA: Bamboo train drivers relax while they wait for passengers in O Sra Lav, a small village southeast of Battambang. The bamboo train, called a norry (nori) in Khmer is a 3m-long wood frame, covered lengthwise with slats made of ultra-light bamboo, that rests on two barbell-like bogies, the aft one connected by fan belts to a 6HP gasoline engine. The train runs on tracks originally laid by the French when Cambodia was a French colony. Years of war and neglect have made the tracks unsafe for regular trains. Cambodians put 10 or 15 people on each one or up to three tonnes of rice and supplies. They cruise at about 15km/h. The Bamboo Train is very popular with tourists and now most of the trains around Battambang will only take tourists, who will pay a lot more than Cambodians can, to ride the train. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ

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Filename: BambooTrain0704005.jpg
Copyright: © Jack Kurtz
Image Size: 5247x3498 / 13.4MB; 063013 Bamboo Train Battambang Cambodia Infrastructure Rural Sustainable Development Tourist Attraction Train Transportation Workshop
Contained in galleries: Cambodia (All)

29 JUNE 2013 - BATTAMBANG, CAMBODIA: Bamboo train drivers relax while they wait for passengers in O Sra Lav, a small village southeast of Battambang. The bamboo train, called a norry (nori) in Khmer is a 3m-long wood frame, covered lengthwise with slats made of ultra-light bamboo, that rests on two barbell-like bogies, the aft one connected by fan belts to a 6HP gasoline engine. The train runs on tracks originally laid by the French when Cambodia was a French colony. Years of war and neglect have made the tracks unsafe for regular trains. Cambodians put 10 or 15 people on each one or up to three tonnes of rice and supplies. They cruise at about 15km/h. The Bamboo Train is very popular with tourists and now most of the trains around Battambang will only take tourists, who will pay a lot more than Cambodians can, to ride the train. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ