In Cambodia, a ceremony has taken place to mark the reopening of a rail-line linking the nation's capital, Phnom Penh, and the western border town of Poipet. It's a significant milestone for the country's transport network -- the line had been closed for 45 years -- but the government says it's just the beginning. It now wants to connect with the Thai capital, Bangkok, as well as link up with the ambitious high-speed line between the southern Chinese city of Kunming and Singapore, at the tip of the Malay peninsula. Here's Tony Cheng. The airport express leaves Phnom Penh station. It's only a short trip to the airport, but this is a practice run. After several decades, the Cambodian rail network is back on track, and soon it will be taking passengers across the country. Inside the ticket hall, a lick of paint, but little else has changed. Cambodia's rail network is essentially the same as it was when first built. TONY CHENG SISOPHON "This old steam train dates back to the turn of the last century when the French colonialists built Cambodia's rail system. Since then it's fallen into disrepair and for the last 20 years the whole system completely shut down." But there are ambitious plans afoot. Once the two working lines are fully functioning, new lines will be added, to the North and East. And a link all the way to Bangkok is being finalized. But the basic logic for reopening the trains is simple. CHREUNG SOK-THARATH DEPUTY DIRECTOR, MINISTRY OF PUBLIC WORKS & TRANSPORT "Railway transportation is the cheapest, and the most economical is railway networks. And also, the greenest transportation is the railways". Two hundred kilometres away in Sisophon, they've been waiting for the train for 48 years because of civil war, and disrepair, now the wait is finally over. Twice a day a service runs between Battambang and Poipet on the Thai border. The rolling stock is pretty basic, an old diesel engine and 2 carriages, the driver keeps a constant hand on the horn, and people are still unaccustomed to seeing anything on the tracks. And the last few months have seen several mishaps. They're being put down to teething problems. But for some of the passengers, a chance to rekindle glories past. 71-year-old Saroeun last travelled on the train in 1963. Now he's returning from a visit to his children in Poipet. VANN SAROEUN CAMBODIAN RESIDENT "This is my first time, I feel very happy." For others, a glimpse of what opportunities exist in a new Cambodia. MON KOSAL CAMBODIAN RESIDENT "This is my first time, since I was a child I never rode the train. I'm impressed that here in Cambodia the train is back on track!" That track could even lead Cambodia to join the high-speed network currently being built from Kunming to Singapore. But for the moment, more sedate progress, as the Battambang express chugs through the lush rice fields, Tong Cheng, CGTN Sisophon, Western Cambodia.