Vietnam

Tonymercury · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 5:45 am

Railway industry to reduce fares to compete with buses
(03-05-2008)

HCM CITY — Sai Gon Railways Passenger Transportation Company has announced plans to lower ticket prices and improve services, targeting a dramatic rise in the number of customers.

Railroad workers this week met to discuss the industry’s share of the entire transport market, which accounts for only 8 per cent.

The industry cannot meet demand during peak times such as holidays, while it has an insufficient number of passengers in September, October and November, contributing to an imbalance in revenue.

"Trying to attract more customers is the only solution," said Vu Ta Tung, the transport company’s CEO.

Nguyen Huu Tuyen, head of the Department of Transport Trade, said reduction of fares was key in competing with passenger buses.

Buses are the train industry’s chief transport rival for distances within 200 km.

"Train tickets should cost the same or less than buses, and should be used for one-way trips," Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuong, head of the Sai Gon Railway Station.

According to Doan Long, director of Sai Gon Railroad Car Factory, people often think that buying tickets is very difficult.

"The rail industry has to change that assumption. In order to do so, train stations or captains should be allowed to sell tickets themselves. Moreover, tickets should be booked on the phone and delivered at home for free," Long said.

Selling tickets to a group would also be offered, he added.

Nguyen Van Thanh, deputy head of the Sai Gon Railway Station, said bank transactions would be used so that organisations or companies could not resell their tickets on the black market.

The rail transport company would also begin to sell tickets for next year’s Tet holiday in July, with discount tickets available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Both the name and identification number of customers would be printed out on tickets instead of being hand-written as before. — VNS

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Tonymercury · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 6:10 am

(14-05-2008)

Railway Union to reduce accident hot spots

Viet Nam Railway Union Corporation will spend over VND100 billion (US$6.25 million) this year to eliminate railway "hot spots," sites where numerous accidents have taken place in recent years. The corporation will focus on hot spots in Da Nang and the provinces of Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa and Dong Nai.

Over 480,000 construction projects violate railway safety procedures, according to the corporation.

Saigon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon)

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Tonymercury · Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 7:11 am

Ho Chi Minh City Metro, Vietnam
Constituted in 1976, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has emerged from a modern history including colonial rule and war to become one of south-east Asia's fastest growing economies (8.1% GDP growth in 2005), with unexploited reserves of coal, iron ore and oil. There has been rapid and continuing growth of the two dominant cities, capital Hanoi (pop. approx 3.4 million) in the north and, around 1,100 km to the south, the largest settlement and economic centre, Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon, approx 8 million in the metropolitan area).

Contrasting with important trading partner Germany, a country with a very similar size and population, railway transport has played only a minor part in Vietnam's development. Almost two-thirds of the predominantly metre-gauge heavy rail network is accounted for by the line between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), and there is little rail application in urban transit.

However, consideration has turned from reliance upon buses – although public transport use for city journeys has been as low as 5% – to creating a metro system to address the problems of congestion, protracted journey times and extreme pollution.

The latter is a particular problem due to the high use of motor scooters/bikes – there is an estimated four million around the city – and with increasing road use in general, the accident and casualty rate has further encouraged the case for rail.

"With increasing road use in general, the accident and casualty rate has further encouraged the case for rail."
THE PROJECT

Ten years into the formation of the current state, Vietnam loosened domestic economic controls and began supporting foreign investment in the country. Attracting interest from several countries, this process has helped to create a substantial project for Vietnam's first rail-based rapid transit system. At an estimated $1.1 bn cost, the government has approved the scheme for the first line.

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation is providing 83% of the finance, the remainder coming from the HCMC municipal government. The metro route's consultant and designer is the Japanese Nippon Koei Group, who has maintained a presence in Hanoi since 1991. By March 2008, German interests in Vietnam's future metro developments had also been strengthened following ministerial visits between the countries. There have been indications of financial support via the German public sector KfW Entwicklungsbank for later line projects.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Ho Chi Minh City occupies a low-lying site 60 km (37 miles) from the South China Sea coast, and difficult ground conditions are envisaged. Restrictions may need to be placed on building in the areas expected to be needed for the metro project. The start of construction was announced in February 2008, with work beginning on a $28m system depot in Long Binh Ward, District 9. This will serve the initial 19.7 km (12.2 mile) line from near Ben Thanh Market in the central area to the amusement park at Suoi Tien in District 9.

With further contracts to be placed, other works are due to begin in 2009. The electrified route will include a Saigon River crossing, incorporating elevated track and a 2.6 km tunnel section at the city end. Although system aspects are to be confirmed, the 1,435 mm gauge will differ from the country's other lines.

Completion of Line 1, which is due to have 11 surface and three sub-surface stations, also related bus stations, is expected in 2014. There is a commitment to make the system accessible for users with physical disabilities and for bus routes to act as feeder services to rail. Planning indicates several interchange points on the system as later lines are opened.

ROLLING STOCK

"The HCMC transport master plan proposes five further metro lines which, with Line 1, will approximate to 107 km (66 miles)."
The supplier of rolling stock and other equipment is yet to be specified. Six-car trains are to be deployed with a target daily loading of 162,000 passengers up to 2020. An end-to-end time of around 29 minutes is planned, with a train every five minutes through a 20-hour operational day.

No suppliers have been yet announced, although the potentially diverse funding arrangements may lead to rolling stock being sourced from several companies and countries. Those with rapid transit experience who have expressed interest have included Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo Corporation (lead contractor for the Manila MRT-3 Phase 1 project) and two Europe-based companies who are already active in Vietnam, Alstom and Siemens. Neighbouring China may also see opportunities with this emerging market.

SIGNALLING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Signalling aspects are to be announced. Along with other potential suppliers, French company Alstom is already active in this area of the market through their work with Vietnam Railways on the existing rail system.

THE FUTURE

Anticipated completion date for the first line is 2014. The HCMC transport master plan proposes five further metro lines which, with Line 1, will approximate to 107 km (66 miles). The same plan, which also included three monorail routes totalling 37 km (23 miles), indicated completion of the schemes by 2020, by which time the population forecast is 13.5 million. With Ho Chi Minh City as Vietnam's main economic centre, it remains to be seen if the earlier studies for rapid transit in the capital, Hanoi, will be revived in some form.

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Tonymercury · Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 6:08 am

Revolutionizing railway rides

Sen Communications Company Director Hoang Tich Tam Trang is the innovator who successfully introduced broadcasting television programs on Vietnam’s trains

A creative pioneer instrumentally transformed monotonous train trips into entertaining and relaxing occasions.

Once upon a time, Vietnam’s railway industry tried to set up televisions on its trains to entertain passengers taking long trips across the country, but the initiative didn’t work due to the lack of reception when the locomotives passed through remote areas.

Rides on Vietnam’s trains were interminably dull for passengers until an innovator discovered a way to “broadcast” television programs on railway journeys three years ago.

Operated by a combination of cable systems, media player devices and software programs, RailTV created by Ho Chi Minh City-based Sen Communications has satisfied 98 percent of the annual four million passengers on trans-Vietnam trains, according to the latest survey conducted by the AC Nielsen Vietnam Company.

“RailTV provides quality images as good as those of DVD,” said the founder of the service, Company Director Hoang Tich Tam Trang.

Supported by high-end technology and around the clock presence of technicians on board, RailTV to date has been introduced on six top class North-South trains and is expected to be broadcast on all of Vietnam Railways’ locomotives by next year.

RailTV channels offer a variety of news, entertainment features and sports broadcasts in addition to promoting local tourism via displaying clips of areas which trains pass through and disseminating public service announcements.

Two recent public campaigns involving helmet safety and public health awareness organized by the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIPF), the HCMC Health Department and the Center for Health Education, were aired on RailTV.

The television service also offers effective opportunities for advertising since passengers’ consumption habits are greatly influenced by what they watch during their journeys, the survey reported.

Pioneering cause

Trang said she had hoped RailTV would not only be a successful business project but also a means to discover her passion in life.

“RailTV is the first project that proved I can make some contribution to society,” she said.

“In addition to being a business goal, I hope the program would serve as a warm companion for millions of train passengers.”

The idea about providing television programming for train passengers had come as an accident, Trang remembered.

After finishing several work projects, Trang decided to take a trans-Vietnam trip by train five years ago.

She soon realized it was really boring to spend 30 hours aboard the vehicle since there was almost no means for recreation.

That’s when the notion of railway television first sparked inside her head.

Although other passengers considered the concept unique, “everybody thought it was absolutely impossible to broadcast television programs on trains,” Trang said.

Yet, the idea persisted in her mind.

Trang bought the copyright of movies from centres producing films and programs from television stations.

Together with her staff, she edited programs and saved it on hardware.

She then distributed 78,000 questionnaires to train passengers and gathered information about preferences for recreational programs.

After completing such preparations, Trang requested Vietnam Railways to let her company exclusively broadcast programs on trains.

She was given authorization on the condition that her company had to invest 100 percent into equipment and be responsible for all contents.

The firm launched the project in 2005 with an investment of around VND3 billion (US$185,000).

Remembering the days when she and her staff set up LCD panels on board and nervously waited for customers’ reactions, Trang smiled and said: “That’s why I love the nature of being a pioneer.”

Trains, according to the impressions of many people, are something very noisy, crowded and not “civilized.” But Trang firmly believed that with a small injection of innovation, all the dull moments would be revolutionized.

“Digital technology allows us to overhaul the image of the railway industry,” she said.

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Tonymercury · Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:11 am

Travellers shun trains for foreign cars
13:47' 09/06/2008 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge – Fewer travellers are choosing to take the train these days, as the railway industry faces strong competition from more modern means of transportation, the Viet Nam Railway Corporation recently revealed.

Rail passengers travelling from Vinh to Hanoi. The number of rail passengers has decreases on average by 5-8 per cent annually since 2006.

According to the corporation, the mean number of passengers carried via railway decreased by an average of 5-8 per cent annually since 2006, especially on trains travelling between provinces.

The number of passengers in 2007 was down 1 per cent over the previous year. In the first quarter of this year the number was down 2 per cent over the same period last year.

As transportation trends are making sea, air, and road transport more attractive, the railway industry may fall into a crisis, as new highways and airline companies continue to blossom.

Vu Ta Tung, general director of the Sai Gon Railway Transport Co, said that trains have traditionally offered convenience and safety. However, these two advantages are now becoming more common in other transport means.

The railway network consists of seven lines with a total length of 2,632 km. All lines consists of a single track, most have a metre gauge, with a few standard gauges and double gauges approaching the Chinese border. There are over 1,800 bridges covering 57,044m, 39 tunnels covering 11,513m and 281 stations.

The Viet Nam Railway Corp is the sole supplier of rail services in Vietnam. The average passenger train load in Vietnam is around 370 passengers, and average freight load is around 225 tonnes.

With more and more cars imported into the country, and the construction of new highways, passengers have a greater choice of convenient and safe travel methods, which was only available before by train.

With little investment in the railway sector's infrastructure, and as the worn-out trains continue to run, the railway sector will need to develop a long-term strategy for development.

With old-fashioned technology, Tung noted that they still require money to maintain the equipment.

To attract more passengers, Tung suggested that the different units of the Viet Nam Railway Corp need to fix their ticket prices.

In 2008, the Viet Nam Railway Corp was hoping to achieve a year-on-year increase of least 10 per cent in revenue and 15 per cent in the number of passengers.

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Tonymercury · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:29 am

Details of a feasibility study sponsored by the South Korean government for a 334 km high speed link between Hanoi and Vinh were published by Vietnam's Ministry of Transport & Communication in conjunction with Korea International Co-operation Agency on May 12. The US$12·9bn scheme would permit 200 km/h trains to link the two cities in 2 h.

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Tonymercury · Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 6:45 am

Thanh Nien News | Society | Illegal railway crossings cause hundreds of deaths yearly

Illegal railway crossings cause hundreds of deaths yearly

It was an early morning in Hanoi. A driver didn¡¯t notice a red-light on the side of the road and forged ahead before his car was badly crushed by an oncoming train.

All three people in the car were killed in the accident on February 16.

There had been no alarm or road barrier to warn the victims of the approaching train at the railway crossing.

Over the course of Vietnam¡¯s 3,146-kilometre-long transnational railroad, accidents kill hundreds annually.

Most accidents occur at railway crossings which lack traffic signals and barriers.

Of the total number of crashes, 90 percent were attributed to illegal roads built across the tracks.

Along 170 kilometres of railway running through the central Quang Binh Province, only 53 out of 224 crossings are legally built.

At another stretch of the railway, there are 320 crossings along 180 kilometres of tracks managed by the Saigon Railway Management Company (SRM), most of which are also illegally constructed.

¡°The illegal roads are often built in places where there exist two parallel roads on both sides of the railway not barricaded by safety fences,¡± said SRM¡¯s Director Nguyen Xuan Hoa.

¡°They are shortcuts built by locals.¡±

A recent inspection by the Vietnam Railway Corporation (VRC) shows 4,500 of 6,000 crossing roads over three-metres wide were illegal.

Of the 1,500 legal roads, only 531 have sufficient safety measures including signals, alarm, barriers and railway guards; 258 others have automatic warning signals while the remainder only featured signal posts.

There is a countless number of illegal smaller crossings carved out due to spontaneous urbanization along the railway, the VRC said.

Tall task
¡°The plan to build barriers and send guards to all crossroads is not feasible,¡± said a VRC official.

¡°It takes from VND500 million to VND2 billion (US$30,000¨C$120,000) to invest in a single crossroad.¡±

The National Safety Traffic Committee and the Ministry of Transport recently worked with the VRC to implement immediate solutions, including building speed bumps to decrease road traffic speed near crossing areas and erecting a safety fence for the railway.

The agencies also instructed localities to formulate plans for constructing appropriate crossings and required stringent penalties for violating railway safety corridors.

The Ministry of Transport plans to close 4,000 illegal railway crossings by 2012 and construct new safety crossroads.

¡°Actually, we should have a separate route for the railway by building underground and aboveground passages to solve the problem thoroughly,¡± a ministry official said.

RAILWAY ACCIDENTS
VRC¡¯s statistics of railway accidents

¡ö In 2005, there were 527 railway accidents that killed 255 people and injured 424

¡ö In 2006, 517 accidents killed 197 and injured 373

¡ö In 2007, 405 accidents killed 180 and injured 337.

Railway accidents in 2007
¡ö Thirteen died and 25 were injured on February 8 after a bus broke a barrier and hit the SE1 train at Crom crossroad in Ninh Thuan Province.

¡ö A railway guard died after a car pushed him into an oncoming train at Gia Ray ¨C Trang Tao crossroad in Dong Nai Province on March 24.

¡ö Five students died and 47 others were injured after their bus hit the Star-4 train at Ho Nai ¨C Trang Bom crossroad in Dong Nai Province on May 24.

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Tonymercury · Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 6:05 am

Over VND 4 trillion to improve railway safety

Around of 4.1 trillion (US$245.4 million) will be injected in implementing measures to increase railway traffic safety from now till 2020.

The Vietnam Railway Department and relevant agencies on July 10 launched a plan to restore the order for railway corridors in order to reduce traffic accidents.

Works in violation of railway safety regulations will be removed and signal systems at railway-road intersections will be upgraded, according to the plan.

During 2009-2010, works affecting safety of overpasses and tunnels will be removed.

In the 2011-2020 period, investment will be poured in building overpasses at intersections of railways and highways. (VNA)

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Tonymercury · Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 5:43 am

Railway Corp plans fuel surcharge
17:21' 25/07/2008 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge – The State-owned Vietnam Railway Corporation (VNR) plans to add an oil surcharge of 10-15% to the train tickets to keep itself from running deeper into the red due to rising fuel prices.

Head of the railway corporation's Transport Department Nguyen Huu Tuyen said his department was drawing up a plan to impose fuel surcharges before submitting it to the corporation's board for approval.

VNR has faced many difficulties caused by the rising fuel prices since early this year. The corporation puts a preliminary estimated loss of VND310 billion this year.

So, the surcharge plan is considered a good solution to keep its trains running.

The railway sector, already asked by the Government not to hike fares until end-2008, has also been working out plans for saving fuel and materials as well as reducing operating cost this year. But, the saving plan alone is not enough to help the corporation overcome difficulties after the fuel price shot up the second time this year.

The fuel cost normally makes up 15% of the operation expenses of the railway sector.

Meanwhile, the corporation also decided to continue the program of discounted fares.

Under the program, the corporation offers a discount of 15-20% for the fares booked long before departure. The Saigon Railway Passenger Transport Company, a member of the corporation, is offering cheap fares on the HCMC-Hue line for trains departing from September to December.

In 2005, the Vietnam Railway Corporation had already proposed an oil surcharge of VND10,000-50,000 on each passenger to cope with the rising fuel cost, only to be turned down by the transport ministry. It is not known whether the ministry will approve the surcharge this time or not.

On the same boat with the railway sector are other transport service enterprises, which are facing further financial distress due to the rising fuel prices. They are mulling measures, including a hike in transport fees to cope with the situation.

Vietnam Auto Transport Association (VATA) chairman Nguyen Manh Hung said the higher fuel prices had pushed the operation cost of transport enterprises up 10-15%. Besides, transporters also encounter other difficulties caused by the increased import tariffs on vehicles and costlier bank loans.

In recent times, some transport operators have reduced the number of vehicles on the north-south route as well as cut down services with an aim to curtail expenses.

Hung said enterprises were planning a price hike despite the Government's policy to control transport charges.

In the past, many VATA members had advocated a rise in freight charges to offset the fuel price increase, but the association had always advised them to cut cost instead, for fear that any rise in charges would cut into their competitiveness.

In HCMC, taxi firms are also planning to increase charges by at least of 10% to deal with the situation.

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Tonymercury · Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 6:21 am

One more pair of trains for north-south railway route
17:00' 14/08/2008 (GMT+7)

VietNamNet Bridge – The Vietnam Railways Corporation has announced it has put one more pair of trains on the Hanoi-HCM City railway route into operation.

One train will depart from the Hanoi Railway Station at 7.50 pm everyday and arrive at the Saigon Railway Station at 8.55 am the day after the following day. The other train will leave the Saigon Railway Station at 7.40 pm everyday to reach the Hanoi Railway Station at 9.30 am the day after the following day.

The total time for a Hanoi-HCM City trip is 37.5 hours.

The trains will stop at the stations of Bien Hoa, Muong Man, Nha Trang, Tuy Hòa, Diêu Trì, Quảng Ngãi, Tam Kỳ, Đà Nẵng, Huế, Đông Hà, Đồng Hới, Vinh, Thanh Hóa, Ninh Bình, Nam Định, and Phủ Lý.

As of August 22, the Saigon Railway Transport Company will start running a pair of luxury trains from HCM City to Nha Trang and vice versa (SNT1/SNT2).

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Tonymercury · Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 6:15 am

Railway sector slow to spend dollars
(08-09-2008)

HA NOI — The railway sector was slow to disburse Official Development Assistance (ODA) capital in the first eight months of the year, with only 18.8 per cent of capital disbursed.

This year, total capital earmarked for railway projects that use ODA is more than VND600 billion (US$ 35.9 million), including VND430 billion ($25.7 million) from foreign capital sources and VND173 billion from domestic capital sources.

By the end of August, only 18.8 per cent of capital was disbursed, while the railway sector had targeted 58.7 per cent.

ODA capital is an important financial resource for the country’s traffic projects. As much as 80 per cent of ODA capital is funded by organisations including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan Bank for International Co-operation (JBIC).

In the railway sector over the past year, projects that use ODA capital have helped increase the quality of railway infrastructure, raise transport capabilities, and assure safer trains.

Last year, the sector disbursed up to 99.25 per cent of total capital for its projects.

In the first eight months of this year, the sector disbursed VND107 billion ($6.4 million), accounting for 62 per cent of its domestic capital. However, it could disburse only VND6 billion of VND430 billion in foreign capital.

This limited disbursement has led to serious delays in the sector’s projects.

According to Director of the Railway Project Management Unit (RPMU) Tran Van Luc, the unit now faces challenges ahead.

The unit employs more than 70 staff, and manages 17 projects, with an average of just four people managing each project.

Administrative procedures related to disbursement are still complicated and the capabilities of consultants and officials who implement the projects are limited.

The deputy director of Viet Nam Railway Corporation, Ngo Anh Tao, said that in managing investment and construction, many administrative procedures were quite strict.

The capabilities and qualities of bidders were also limited, therefore most of their projects were slow in their research and design stages, he said.

Also contributing to slow progress were the differences in procedures between Viet Nam and donors, and the changes in regulations for project estimates. These shortcomings also contributed to the limited disbursement of capital.

Site clearance also continues to be consistently slow.

According to the plan, in the last four months of the year, the railway sector needs to disburse another 58.7 per cent of ODA capital, or VND430 billion. Tao said that target would be hard to reach if the sector’s shortcomings were not dealt with soon. — VNS

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Tonymercury · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 5:07 am

Vietnam plans to build 2 new railway systems
2 hours ago

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The Vietnamese government says it is planning to build two new railway systems in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City at the cost of nearly $15 billion. It says it hopes to help ease the overloaded traffic system in the country's two booming cities.

A report on the government's Web site says half of the amount will be spent on building tramways for sky trains and subways in Hanoi. The other half will be invested in constructing urban railways and metro in Ho Chi Minh City.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung recently approved the project and instructed officials to begin looking for funds for the project.

The projects are expected to be completed in 2020, the Web site said.

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Tonymercury · Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:52 am

$1.2 billion sought for new capital city railway

(10-11-2008)

HA NOI — The Ministry of Transport is seeking US$1.227 billion from domestic and international investors to build a railway from Ho Tay, or West Lake, to the Lang-Hoa Lac Highway west of Ha Noi.

Deputy Transport Minister Ngo Thinh Duc introduced plans for the proposed 33 km system at a workshop in Ha Noi on Friday.

It would link the lake with such political, economic and cultural centres as the National Convention Centre; the National Stadium; the National Administrative Zone; Ha Noi National University, the Hoa Lac High-tech Park and the Village of Vietnamese Nationalities, he said.

This could be expected to promote the socio-economic development of the city’s newly-expanded west as well as urban precincts along the way.

The proposed Build-Operate-Transfer project was part of Government-approved plans to ease traffic congestion in Ha Noi and HCM City.

"We expect to supply a fast passenger service that meets the demands of the city west’s rapid urbanisation," the deputy minister said.

Viet Nam Railway Administration’s Transport Investment and Construction Consultant Joint Stock Company director Do Van Hat said the proposed system was in the list of foreign-invested projects Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung had approved for the five years to 2010.

The project would be of two phases. The first would cost an estimated $574 million and the second, $653 million.

The railway would have 22 stations and the automated system would be controlled from a single centre.

Trains would travel at a maximum of 100 km/h and the expected life of the network was 50 years.

The railway project would run through residences, offices, trade centres and parking on a total of 920,000 sq.m

"The amount of site clearance is insignificant," the director said.

Ha Noi Planning and Architecture Department Deputy Director Do Viet Chien said the project was one of 12 transport systems given priority as Ha Noi–Thang Long prepared to celebrate its 1,000th anniversary in 2010.

Planning and Investment Ministry’s Foreign Investment Agency representative Ngo Vuong Thanh said the railway’s financiers would be income–tax exempt for four years and allowed to mortgage their assets against loans from Viet Nam’s credit institutions to raise money for the project.

Investors would be allowed to choose the design and the major contractor without bidding.

"If numerous investors decided to participate the transport ministry will organise open bidding to select the best proposal," he said.

The railway is expected to be working by 2017. — VNS

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Tonymercury · Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 5:06 am

Tet crush begins at HCMC railway station

A scalper offers a ticket outside the Saigon Railway Station Monday
Scalpers are offering Tet travellers a reprieve from the madness of trying to book train tickets through official channels.

By noon Monday, many people at the Saigon Railway Station were exhausted after queuing for hours for tickets to travel for next year’s Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Despite the fact that the SMS ticket booking service has been rolled out to smooth the path for train travellers, it appears joining the rush at the station is still the only sure-fire way to get a ticket home.

At Tet, which falls on January 26 next year, Vietnamese everywhere return to their families, even from abroad, after working away from home for a year.

Saigon Railway Station launched an SMS ticket service on November 15. The service is supposed to allow customers to send a message from their cell-phones to book a ticket. The train station is supposed to reply with a time for the customer to collect their tickets.

But many travellers have complained of technical problems when trying to book tickets through cell-phones.

“I had to get up at 4 a.m. to send a message to the service,” said Lan Anh, a student from the Ho Chi Minh City-based Open University. “But it was not until I sent a fifth text that I received a time to pick up the tickets.”

“My [slot] number is 508,” she said. “It is already 11 a.m. and the 308th customer has only just been able to collect their ticket. I have no idea when it will be my turn.”

Trang, a sophomore at the HCMC Economics University, said she began sending texts to the e-ticket service at 4:30 a.m.

“But I had to use three different cell-phone numbers and the message was only delivered on my 10th try,” Trang told Thanh Nien.

Trang said she had been waiting at the station for four-and-half hours and her turn was yet to come up.

To make matters worse, the www.vetau.com.vn website, which usually offers a pre-Tet online booking service, crashed on November 15 and has not been restored.

Saigon Railway Station head Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuong told Thanh Nien the SMS ticket service was just a last resort. She said the station would just be able to meet around 30 percent of passenger demand for tickets when it hits a crescendo a week before Tet.

The train is the most popular mode of transportation for Tet holidays as many consider long-distance road travel too time-consuming and unsafe and air travel too expensive.

Scalpers jump in

The logjam in the regular ticket booking service has created a lively black market in tickets, supplied by scalpers who buy tickets in bulk with the intention of selling them at a premium.

Last week, a Thanh Nien correspondent was asked for a VND170,000 (US$10) “commission” on each of the five train tickets to Da Nang he asked a scalper to supply.

Train tickets to Hanoi, usually VND900,000 ($53.2), attracted an additional VND220,000 each from scalpers.

A ticket dealer, identified only as C., said he could even deliver tickets to a customer’s home.

All the scalpers Thanh Nien met knew the train and fare schedules very well.

But many of them declined to give out their cell-phone numbers, fearing their shady business would be exposed.

Do Quang Van, deputy head of the Saigon Railway Station, said in recent days the security guards had suspected several people, who had bought tickets in bulk, of being scalpers.

The District 3 police, where the station is based, said they had questioned at least 15 scalpers. But the common practice was just to reprimand them, police said.

The station management said it will increase surveillance for scalpers by noting customers’ identity card numbers to ensure each person does not exceed the three ticket maximum.

Reported by Thanh Nien staff

Tony Bailey
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Tonymercury · Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 5:18 am

Alstom to modernise Hanoi - Vinh signalling
10 Dec 2008

VIETNAM: On December 5 state railway DSVN signed a €38·3m contract with Alstom Transport for the modernisation of signalling at 34 stations on the 319 km Hanoi - Vinh line by the second quarter of 2012.

Alstom will supply a control centre, electronic interlockings and trackside equipment including point machines and axle counters.

The agreement is part of DSVN's modernisation plan for the 1 726 km 'Reunification Line' between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Work on the Hanoi - Vinh section is being supported through French overseas development aid. In 2005 Alstom modernised three stations on the Hanoi - Vinh section during the first phase of work.

Tony Bailey
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