Chi Thanh Tunnel has been repaired, North - South railway is open

The landslide incident at Chi Thanh tunnel was resolved this afternoon (May 31), the North-South railway through the area is now open, and trains are running normally.

Vietnam Railway Corporation said that at 12:20 pm on May 31, the landslide in Chi Thanh tunnel (Tuy Hoa, Phu Yen) was fixed. The ASY22 freight train pulled 23 cars, weighing 939 tons, through the tunnel safely.

Before the cargo train, the construction ship passed through the tunnel at 11:45, completing technical clearance and load testing.

The landslide incident at Chi Thanh tunnel has been resolved, the first cargo train passed through the tunnel safely.

Thus, after 10 days of interruption due to the landslide incident in the Chi Thanh railway tunnel, from noon today, all trains can pass through the Chi Thanh tunnel at a speed of 5km/h. Train SE9 is expected to be the first passenger train to pass through the tunnel at around 2:30 pm this afternoon with nearly 200 passengers. Previously, on May 21, during the construction of the Chi Thanh tunnel reinforcement (Km 1168+700 of the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City railway line), a landslide occurred in the tunnel, about 160m from the northern tunnel entrance. The incident caused soil and rocks to fill the width of the tunnel, forcing the closure of the railway section between La Hai station (Dong Xuan district, Phu Yen province) and Chi Thanh station (Tuy An district, Phu Yen province). After the incident, Vietnam Railways Corporation directed Phu Khanh Railway Operation Branch, Regional Railway Infrastructure Management Board 3 and Phu Khanh Railway Joint Stock Company to mobilize human resources and equipment to support the investor and contractor to resolve the incident. The incident caused serious impacts on railway traffic and caused heavy damage. To maintain transportation operations, minimize damage and impact on passengers, in the 10 days of the incident (from May 21 to May 31, 2024), Vietnam Railways Corporation safely transported 36,235 passengers on 129 train trips by car between La Hai and Tuy Hoa stations.

Before that, the railway allowed construction trains to pass through, cleared technical tunnels, and tested safe loads.

During the waiting time for transfer, passengers are served free meals and drinks. The railway industry regularly informs and updates passengers and shippers about the incident; Passenger service on the train and at the station is well organized. However, due to concerns that the incident will affect the schedule, thousands of passengers have returned their train tickets. "Regarding goods, hundreds of freight trains had to stop along the way or wait for plans at departure stations. The railway had to transfer some trains by road to ensure progress. However, due to the long time to fix the incident, many shippers transporting frozen goods, food, and consumer goods have canceled their orders, causing great damage in the short and long term," said a representative of Vietnam Railways Corporation.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/ham-chi-thanh-da-khac-phuc-xong-duong-sat-bac-nam-thong-tuyen-192240531124643412.htm