What's new about the "5-star" train Saigon

On April 27, Vietnam Railways Corporation held a launching ceremony for the high-quality train SE21/22 (Saigon - Da Nang). Train SE21/22 is a new product with many utilities and aesthetics to be put into operation, serving the travel needs of people during the peak summer season of 2024 and is expected to become a "hot" tourism product for visitors.

Passengers take the high-quality train to Da Nang station. Photo: THANH LAN

Mr. Thai Van Truyen, General Director of Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company, said that after being affected by Covid-19, since the beginning of 2022, the demand for passenger travel by rail has gradually recovered. The company has organized tours, research, and surveys to evaluate the quality of the unit's branded trains, as well as the SE19/20 train of Hanoi Railway Transport Joint Stock Company - a new high-quality product. From there, it was decided to choose the SE22/21 train pair on the Saigon - Da Nang route to invest in refurbishing it into a high-quality transport service product with a new brand and appearance. To put SE22/21 into operation, the company selected 26 passenger cars currently in use, which are cars in the new construction project in the 2016-2019 period. The interior and exterior of the two trains are designed with many advantages such as expanding the space of the toilet compartment, replacing equipment in the toilet compartment and washing compartment; The car was repainted according to the new design, the beds were refurbished, the walls and ceilings were composited, and the walls were glued inside the living room and dining room... The dining car was designed, the interior was re-installed, and it was placed in the middle of the train for the convenience of passengers at both ends, reducing travel time and creating space for passengers. This is one of the first two trains (including the Hue - Da Nang "Central Heritage Connection Journey" and SE21/22) to have free wifi installed on the train for passengers. On this occasion, the railway industry also invested in renovating, refurbishing, and putting into operation VIP waiting rooms for passengers at Saigon Station and Da Nang Station. Ms. Tran Thi Quyen (Lien Chieu District) said that as one of the first passengers of the train, she was satisfied with the service style as well as the equipment on the train. Sharing the same view, Mr. Pham Bao Khanh (a passenger) said that the highlight of the train is the carriages painted in white, gray and blue with the main image of the crane on the Dong Son bronze drum, a symbol associated with Vietnamese culture. All sleeper cars are 2-bed or 4-bed compartments, not 6-bed compartments. The dining car is located in the middle of the train for the convenience of passengers... Mr. Hoang Gia Khanh, General Director of Vietnam Railways Corporation, said that the high-quality train SE21/22 is the passenger train with the best quality carriages chosen by the corporation to upgrade and renovate with many modern features for the first time put into operation to serve passengers. The launch of the SE21/SE22 train is one of the new products in the chain of products and services that the railway industry has been, is and will continue to deploy in the coming time to bring passengers interesting experiences on their journeys; contributing to connecting tourism, developing the economy - society, and regional culture. It is known that the SE21/SE22 train pair will run daily on the Saigon - Da Nang route and vice versa. Train SE22 departs from Saigon station at 11:00 and arrives at Da Nang station at 6:05 the next day; while train SE21 departs from Da Nang station at 8:15 and arrives at Saigon station at 4:15 the next day. The ticket price for the entire route is about 500,000 VND for a seat and about 900,000 VND for a sleeper (price depends on time and seat type).

Thanh Lan

Source: https://www.baodanang.vn/kinhte/202405/doan-tau-5-sao-sai-gon-da-nang-co-gi-moi-3972538/