Along with the investment in the new 1,435mm gauge line, the existing 1,000mm gauge Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway will be upgraded to transport short-distance passengers, tourists and domestic goods.
Lots of room to attract tourists
Last weekend, although it was not a holiday, the trains departing from Hanoi to Hai Phong were still packed. Especially on the Hanoi to Hai Phong route, many young people left their motorbikes on the train to make it easier to get there when they arrived.
The railway industry's cooperation with Hai Phong to promote experiential tourism activities by train over the past two years has attracted a sharp increase in the number of visitors. Photo: Ta Hai.
Mr. Tran Van Hanh, Director of Hai Phong Railway Transport Branch, said that in addition to the number of customers who are students, university students, and workers returning home on weekends, the number of customers experiencing the Hai Phong train and food tour is very large.
The railway industry's cooperation with Hai Phong to promote experiential tourism activities by train, enjoying local delicacies, unique check-in locations... over the past 2 years has attracted a sharp increase in the number of train passengers.
In 2024, the number of passengers on board will reach more than 1.5 million; in 2023, this number will be more than 1.4 million; in 2022, nearly 1.1 million, while in the whole of 2019, it only reached nearly 950 thousand passengers.
Therefore, according to Mr. Hanh, the Hai Phong - Hanoi route has a lot of room for exploiting transportation on the existing 1,000mm gauge route.
The current Hanoi - Hai Phong route has a maximum train speed of about 80km/h, but has the advantage of going through densely populated centers, passenger stations are all located in the city center, and train travel time is only 2 hours.
Similarly, freight transport, especially bulk cargo, still has a stable flow of goods. Starting from Hai Phong, there is sulfur transiting Hai Phong port and Vat Cach port, going by rail to China, maintaining an output of about 170-180 thousand tons/year. In 2024, there will be an additional 100 thousand tons of iron ore imported from Laos for transport to China.
Convenient transportation of goods
In Lao Cai area, Mr. Hoang Dinh Tu, Director of Lao Cai Railway Exploitation Branch, said that the existing 1,000mm gauge passenger train on the Lao Cai - Hanoi route is not attractive.
The reason is that the train travel time is too long, about 7-8 hours, so it cannot compete with highway cars. However, this time is suitable for tourists to experience, especially foreign tourists.
For freight transport, the route is very convenient for transporting domestic goods. The reason is that in Lao Cai area, Xuan Giao station, Bao Ha station... the 1,000mm gauge route currently has a railway connecting to apatite ore mines, industrial zones such as Tang Loong. Ore, fertilizer, coal slag... are loaded onto ships right from the foot of the cargo and go to the southern provinces by rail, or to Hai Phong, loaded onto ships at Hai Phong port, Vat Cach port to continue to Saigon port.
"In 2024, the loading and unloading through Lao Cai station will be about 1.8 million tons, of which apatite and some other chemicals alone will be about 1.2 million tons," Mr. Tu informed, adding that bulk goods such as ore and coal slag transported by the existing 1,000mm gauge railway are very suitable.
Upgrade to meet your needs
Expressing his delight at the fact that the National Assembly has just approved the investment policy for the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project with a gauge of 1,435mm, Mr. Tran Van Hanh said that the new route with high train speed and international connections will be very convenient for intermodal transport.
According to Mr. Hanh, with the new 1,435mm gauge route, passengers will mainly travel long distances, going all the way from Hai Phong to Lao Cai or vice versa because the journey time is short, only about 4 hours. At that time, cars will not be able to "win" over trains like they are now.
However, the existing 1,000mm line will meet the needs of short-distance passengers and tourists. The problem is that we need to continue investing in upgrading infrastructure, investing in locomotives and carriages to meet the increasing demands of customers.
Affirming the need to continue operating the existing 1,000mm gauge Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong route, the consultant preparing the project's pre-feasibility report (TEDI-TRICC-HP-CCTD Joint Venture) said that the corridor along the route passing through the Northern midland and mountainous provinces and the Red River Delta are provinces/cities with many projects to build and develop transport infrastructure, concentrating many urban, industrial, commercial, service areas and high population density.
It is forecasted that by 2050, the total transport demand on the corridor will be about 397.1 million tons of goods and 334.2 million passengers. Of which, the demand for rail transport on the corridor will be about 25.6 million tons of goods and 18.6 million passengers.
According to consultants, when the new Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway line is completed and put into operation, its safe speed and convenience will attract most of the goods and passengers in need of international transportation.
However, the 1,000mm railway still has important advantages to take market share for traditional goods, even when the new line is formed.
Transport demand forecasts show that by 2050 the existing route will be able to attract about 3.8 million passengers/year and 4.1 million tons of cargo/year.
"The existing railway line will focus on transporting goods that have connections to short-distance passengers and cargo, taking on about 20% of the passenger market share, 16% of the freight market share, and transporting some traditional goods such as ore, fertilizer, cement, gasoline, etc.," the consultant said.
Speaking more clearly about the potential for exploiting the existing route, Mr. Dang Sy Manh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Railways Corporation, said that the new route in the first phase will be a single track, in addition to passenger transport, it will focus on serving freight transport; mainly international freight and passenger transport.
The existing 1,000mm gauge railway will focus on transporting domestic goods, short-distance passengers, tourism and especially inter-urban passengers.
According to Mr. Dang Sy Manh, in the next 2 medium-term periods, according to the plan, the capital demand is about 4.8 billion USD to upgrade and renovate the entire existing railway network for domestic freight transport and passenger transport on suitable routes. Therefore, it is necessary to allocate capital to upgrade, modernize and electrify the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong route to meet this demand.
Particularly for the Hanoi - Hai Phong route, along with electrification, using seamless welded rails to increase train speed, the travel time can be reduced to about 1 hour. At that time, people from Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Hung Yen can go to Hanoi to work and return in the same day.
"It is possible to use self-propelled units (EMUs) to run inter-urban trains. Unlike the traditional train running method that requires a locomotive to pull a train, with self-propelled units, only 2-3 units are needed to operate independently, meeting the needs of small numbers of passengers. Especially, during rush hours, they can connect sections and run continuously. Thus, the existing line will continue to attract passengers," said Mr. Manh.
Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/duong-sat-lao-cai-hai-phong-the-nao-khi-co-tuyen-moi-192250310210545122.htm
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