| Viet Nam Railways |
Article Index for Viet |
Website Links For Viet |
Information AboutViet Nam Railways |
|
Notwithstanding the poor state of the country’s road infrastructure, the railway system is of trivial national consequence and contributes little to the economy, carrying only about seven per cent of all freight. The thirty-five or forty-hour passenger trip between Ha Noi and Sai Gon is undertaken by few, although visitor resorts such as Huế , Hoi An and Da Nang lie along the route and generate some tourist traffic. Following the Chinese invasion of 1978 some travel restraints are still in place in the border region and the usage of the lines north and east of Ha Noi is curtailed as a result. A parliamentary resolution of 2005 proposed that foreign lenders be invited to invest in Viet Nam Railways. Although on the face of things the possibility of a good return might appear small, there are precedents: the lines into China have benefited from Chinese investment (albeit this was largely spent on repairing damage they themselves caused during the invasion) and, more recently, Japanese money was spent on the Hai Van Tunnel project, a new road tunnel alongside the north-south rail line near Da Nang. There is certainly a need for such investment: The Sai Gon — Ha Noi line is poorly maintained and the engineering infrastructure, much damaged by war, has even now received only temporary repair in many places. In addition, the centre of the country is subject to violent annual flooding and bridges are often swept away, causing lengthy closures. There is a long-term plan to build a completely new standard-gauge line to serve the two cities. New international routes to Phnom Penh and thus via Bangkok to Singapore are also under consideration. At a more local level, the picturesque hill town and resort of Da Lat (thought of as “Le Petit Paris” in colonial times) was once connected by a scenic little railway to the main north-south line at Phan Rang . Although there is now little visible trace of the trackbed in the green and fertile landscape, local businesses are seeking its reinstatement to develop their tourist trade. However, the projects most likely to receive foreign money are proposed Light-rail systems within Ha Noi and Sai Gon. The probable investor will, again, be Japan. The official Viet Nam Railways website lists twenty-seven steam locomotives in use between Ha Noi and Sai Gon, but only diesel engines are in evidence along the route. EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|