About Vietnam railway network - Brief introduce

Railway Network

Vietnam Railways is linked to China railways according to 2 directions:

• From Lao Cai province to Van Nam province.
• From Lang Son province to Quang Tay province.

When it is more developed, Vietnam railway network is possibly linked to Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia railways network via which to Singapore and Laos railways.

Vietnam Railways is using 3 kinds of gauge, namely 1000 mm-gauge, 1435 mm-gauge (standard gauge) as well as 1435 mm and 1000 mm-gauge (mixed gauge). The length of Vietnam railway network and gauge are represented in this table:

The length of Vietnam railway network

The length of gauge

Vietnam Railways uses twin-block concrete sleeper, wooden sleeper and iron sleeper. 43 kg/m rail type and hard rail fastener are used in most of the rail network. Some kinds of elastic fastener are currently used in some divisions.

BRIDGE AND SEWER

There are 1.790 railway bridges with a total length of 45.368 m and 31 combined bridges with a total length of 11.753 m, in that numbers 36.056 m is on Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh city railway line, accounting for 63%.

There are 180 temporary steel beam bridge with a total length of 18084 m , accounting for 31% of the total rail bridge length. The total length of concrete bridges is 13274m, in that number 9179 m is on Ha Noi - Ho Chi Minh city railway line.

There are 4.860 sewers with a total length of 71.439 m.

TUNNEL

There are 39 tunnels with the length of 11512 m, in that number 27 tunnels are on Ha Noi - Ho Chi Minh city railway line with the length of 8.335 m.

SIGNALING AND TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Electric-used block system with color-light block equipment is used in most of the routes in the North. Semi-automatic block system is used in Ha Noi - Ho Chi Minh city railway line.

Regarding information system, 1 channel or 3 channel-transmission equipment made in Hungary in the mid years of 1972 and 1979 are used in Vietnam Railways. High-frequency radio system is used in emergency storage system of some divisions.

The open-wire system is much used in long-distance information transmission. The 2-core copper cable is used in local information system.

Since 1998, in Ha Noi - Ho Chi Minh city railway line, Vietnam Railways has applied television using Microband ATM technology and multi-channel statistic transmission with the speed of 64 kb per second hired from Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corporation.

Locomotive

1. Number of locomotives (of the year 2005)

2. Number of coaches (of the year 2006)

1998 - 2002 Railway Transport Activities

Passenger Transport

Types of passenger trains
Vietnam Railway Corporation is using these types of passenger train:

• International passenger train
• Express and super-express passenger train
• Regular passenger trains and mixed passenger train.

Passenger train couples on the whole railway network

North - South passenger train:

These trains run everyday on Ha Noi - Ho Chi Minh city railway line:

1. A couple of E1/2 30-hour super-express passenger trains stop at the stations of Ha Noi, Vinh, Dong Hoi, Hue, Da Nang, Dieu Tri, Nha Trang, Muong Man, Sai Gon
2. A couple of S1/2 32-hour express passenger trains stop at the stations of Ha Noi, Nam Dinh, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Dong Hoi, Dong Ha, Hue, Da Nang, Tam Ky, Quang Ngai, Dieu Tri, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang, Thap Cham, Sai Gon.
3. A couple of S3/4 41-hour passenger trains stop at the stations of Ha Noi, Phu Ly, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Huong Pho, Dong Le, Dong Hoi, Dong Ha, Hue, Da Nang, Tam Ky, Quang Ngai, Dieu Tri, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang, Thap Cham, Muong Man, Sai Gon.
4. A couple of S5/6 41-hour passenger trains stop at the stations of Ha Noi, Phu Ly, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Yen Trung, Huong Pho, Dong Le, Dong Hoi, Dong Ha, Hue, Da Nang, Tam Ky, Quang Ngai, Dieu Tri, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang, Thap Cham, Muong Man, Sai Gon.
5. A couple of S7/8 41-hour passenger trains stop at the stations of Ha Noi, Phu Ly, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Bim Son, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Dong Le, Dong Hoi, Dong Ha, Hue, Da Nang, Tam Ky, Quang Ngai, Dieu Tri, Tuy Hoa, Nha Trang, Thap Cham, Muong Man, Sai Gon.
6. Besides, a couple of LH2/3 25-hour passenger trains run from Hue to Sai Gon and vice versa one day later and stop at the stations of Hue, Lang Co, Da Nang, Tra Kieu, Tam Ky, Nui Thanh, Quang Ngai, Duc Pho, Bong Son, Dieu Tri, Tuy Hoa, Ninh Hoa, Nha Trang, Thap Cham, Muong Man, Long Khanh, Sai Gon.

Regional passenger train

Yen Vien - Ha Long railway line
A couple of 2157/2158 standard trains run everyday from Yen Vien to Ha Long and vice versa.

Ha Noi - Hai Phong railway line

Five couples of trains run everyday, of which a couple of HP1/HP2 trains run from Ha Noi to Hai Phong and vice versa, three couples of trains run from Long Bien to Hai Phong and vice versa, a couple of trains run from Gia Lam to Hai Phong and vice versa.

Ha Noi - Lao Cai railway line

There are 5 couples of trains, of which 2 couples of LC1/2, LC3/4 trains run from Ha Noi to Lao Cai and vice versa.

1. LC1 train runs from Ha Noi on Friday, Sunday and LC4 train runs every week from Lao Cai on Saturday, Monday to Kunming and vice versa, a couple of YB1/2 trains run from Long Bien station to Yen Bai station and vice versa, a couple of Yl1/2 trains run from Yen Bai station to Lao Cai station and vice versa.
2. Besides, LC5 train runs from Ha Noi station on Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
3. LC6 train runs from Lao Cai on Sunday.

Ha Noi - Dong Dang railway line

3 couples of trains run everyday, of which a couple of DD3/4 trains run from Ha Noi station to Dong Dang station and vice versa, a couple of M1/2 international trains run from Ha Noi station on Tuesday, Friday to Beijing and from Beijing to Ha Noi on Wednesday, Sunday and a couple of HD3/4 train run from Gia Lam station to Dong Dang station and vice versa.

Ha Noi - Quan Trieu railway line

A couple of T91/92 trains run from Long Bien station to Quan Trieu station and vice versa.

Ha Noi - Thanh Hoa - Vinh railway line

3 couples of trains run everyday, of which 2 couples of V1/2, V3/4 trains run from Ha Noi station to Vinh station and vice versa, a couple of TH1/2 trains run from Giap Bat station to Thanh Hoa station and vice versa.

Vinh - Dong Hoi railway line

A couple of VD1/2 trains run everyday from station to Dong Hoi station.

Dong Hoi - Quy Nhon railway line

A couple of 163/164 trains run everyday from Dong Hoi station to Hue station and vice versa, 2 couples of 165/166 trains and DH1/2 trains run from Hue station to Da Nang station and vice versa, a couple of 171/172 trains run from Da Nang station to Dieu Tri station and vice versa, a couple of DQ1/2 trains run from Dong Hoi station to Quy Nhon station and vice versa 3 days later.

Tuy Hoa - Nha Trang - Sai Gon railway line

A couple of NT9/10 trains run everyday from Nha Trang station to Tuy Hoa station and vice versa, a couple of SN1/2 trains run from Nha Trang station to Sai gon station and vice versa.

Passenger transport

Types of selling ticket
Fare, fare rate, train schedule, transport conditions, time for selling ticket and receiving parcels are posted in train waiting rooms and ticket windows of every station.
Every station sells tickets through telephone and ticket agents before the train depart

Types of ticket and seat
Vietnam Railway Corporation has these types of tickets: international passenger tickets, North - South passenger tickets, tickets for foreigners, collective tickets, local passenger tickets, baggage tickets, second tickets, seeing-off tickets.
These are types of seat in passenger trains:
- Seat: Hard seat and soft seat
-Berth: Hard berth and soft berth

The regulations of traveling by train

Passengers must have regular ticket and obey strictly to the regulations of travelling by train.
Passengers must use ticket in specific date and train as well as sit in specific car and seat number.

Valueless tickets
These kinds of ticket are not valid : Unread tickets, erased tickets without the confirmation of the railway sector. Besides, tickets which are used not in specific train number and date also valueless.

Cases of ticket exemption and fare reduction

• With children under five: One-seat ticket is used for an adult and a child under five.
• With children from five to ten: They must be accompanied by adult and buy ticket with half-fare reduction.
• The fare of collective ticket for more than 50 passengers is reduced 10%.
• The fare of collective ticket for 20-40 foreign passengers is reduced 10%, the percentage is 15 when passengers are more than 41.

Passengers go up and down

• Passengers can go down at a halt but they are not refunded on the unused portion of their itinerary.
• Passengers can go down at a halt and continue traveling in other train in case of unexpected illness but they must inform the station of their situation.
• With passengers using collective ticket: They can go down at a halt in case they negotiated in advance with the station and their request was accepted.

Giving ticket back
The time for giving ticket back is regulated as follow:

• With regional and mixed passenger trains: before the train departs.
• With express and super-express trains: 4 hours before the train departs.
• With collective tickets: 12 hours before the train departs.

Exchanging ticket
In case passengers can not use ticket in specific date and train, they can exchange ticket basing on these following conditions:

• With express and super-express train: 24 hours before the train departs.
• With regional and mixed passenger train: before the train departs.

When passengers give ticket back, they must pay handling charge and their money is subtracted 10%.

Hand-baggage
The weight of hand-baggage is exempt from fare basing on these following regulations:
- 20 kg for a passenger ticket
- 10 kg for a half of passenger ticket

Prohibited goods

Dangerous materials such as explosive, toxic product, radioactive substance, weapon, etc (except passengers have using licence).

• Death body, dirty materials.
• The goods which are prohibited from circulating by the State.
• Alive animals (except dog, cat, bird, golden fish but they must be kept carefully).
• The bulky goods which prevent people from walking and damage equipment in the car.

Refused cases
Vietnam Railway Corporation refuses or suspends transport in these following cases:

• Passengers who don't obey to the regulations of traveling by train.
• Drunk passengers, mad passengers, passengers who have contagious disease or other disease which is dangerous for them as well as other passengers.

Hiring car and train

Passengers can hire train or car but they must give their requirement in advance basing on these regulations: The types of car; the number of cars, passengers and baggage; departure station, arrival station, stopping station (if having); the date and time of using (if hiring train).

Hirer must pay all the money as soon as the transport contract has been signed. If the contract is cancelled; besides 10%-subtracted money, hirer must pay other handling charge.