France provides EUR31 million for railway project
Vietnamnet 09:35' 27/04/2007 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge - The French Government handed over EUR 31 million as part of a soft loan package to upgrade the Yen Vien-Lao Cai railway to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, on April 25.
The 34-year loan, that features a grace period of 7.5 years and an annual interest rate of 1.9%, will be disbursed from now until 2014.
The total cost of the upgrade comes to US $160 million, including US $60 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), EUR 32 million from the French Development Agency and EUR 31 million from the French Government.
The project is expected be completed by 2012 and will upgrade 283 km of line that links Yen Vien on Hanoi's outskirts and the northern border province of Lao Cai. Bridges will be reinforced, stations built and new locomotives purchased in a bid to allow for higher passenger numbers on the line.
This is the third railway upgrade project in Vietnam to receive financial assistance from the French government. France had earlier provided funding for an upgrade of railway signalling systems on the Hanoi-Vinh railway line and to build an urban railway in Hanoi.
Speaking at the aid signing ceremony, French Ambassador to Vietnam, Jean Francois Blarel, said that his government were pleased to be involved with helping the nation develop its infrastructure and noted that since 1997, EUR 142 million has been doled out by France for this purpose.
According to Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Cao Viet Sinh, the Yen Vien-Lao Cai railway is one of 31 prioritised infrastructure projects in the country.
Posted: 13/09/2007 4:24 pm Post subject: Saigon - Loc Ninh route to connect with Cambodian Railways
Railway Helps Connect Vietnam With Asian Countries
-- BERNAMA
September 13, 2007 11:37 AM
HANOI, Sept 13 (Bernama) -- The Vietnam Railway Administration will build a 128km railway linking Ho Chi Minh City and Loc Ninh district of southern Binh Phuoc province as part of the trans-Asia railway route from Singapore to Kunming, China, the Vietnam news agency reported.
According to the project's feasibility study, which was jointly developed by the Vietnam Railway Administration and its two Chinese partners, China National Machinery Imp. & Exp. Corp. (CMC) and China Railway Construction Corp. (CRCC), the route will feature 12 stations that wind through the two southwestern provinces of Binh Duong and Binh Phuoc.
Construction on the US$438 million project is scheduled to commence in 2010 and once completed, the link will become an important part of the trans-Asia route and contribute to completing the southern region's traffic network.
The project is also part of the Vietnam Railway Development Strategy through 2010 which has been approved by the Prime Minister.
Posted: 25/10/2007 12:00 pm Post subject: ข้อเท็จจริงรถไฟเวียตนามที่รัฐบาลเวียตนามไม่อยากพูด
VIETNAM NATIONAL RAILWAYS ABANDONS MONOPOLY, TRIPLES REVENUE
(Vietnam News Agency) Tuesday October 16, 2007, 4:06 pm
HANOI, Oct 16 Asia Pulse - Vietnam National Railways revenue has tripled since it abandoned its monopoly to ally with other companies, its business director Nguyen Huu Tuyen reported.
"Many member companies are very happy with the new model," he says.
Transport Service and Rail Trade Company director Tran Quoc Viet concurs.
"My company's revenue has doubled since it signed a package deal for a north-south train with Viet National Railways," he says.
But more importantly we have won a reputation for the punctuality of our trains among our clients."
The national railway piloted the new model of chartering an entire cargo train about three years ago.
The decision brought an immediate increase in both cargo volume and revenue.
Last year, the railway carried almost 9.4 million tonnes of cargo.
In the first eight months of this year, the figure was close to 7 million tonnes with revenue of VND 382 billion (US$23.8 million).
When it held the monopoly, hundreds of its cargo trains and thousands of tonnes of prospective cargo stood idle in sidings while near empty passenger carriages plied Vietnam generating heavy costs and little return.
As part of a Socialist market economy, the national railway realised that it would have to change and decided to lease an entire train, instead of leasing only wagons as it had done in the past.
It has now applied its 2004 north-south model to a variety of routes.
Last year, it sold the Saigon Railway company three weekly trains at VND 145 million for each 15-wagon return-journey from Song Than in southern Binh Duong to Hanoi's Giap Bat terminal.
A year later, it signed contracts with four other partners for 13 return journeys of north-south trains.
The national railway's decision to abandon its monopoly has sparked real competition in the carrying of cargo by rail, road and water.
Its Director General Nguyen Huu Bang says: "We have learned a lot from the model.
We'll continue to renew ourselves with a hope to regain the market share which had been lost to our rivals."
But ageing rolling stock is a major threat to progress.
Between 3,000 of the railway's 5,000 wagons have been in service for 40-50 years and are "too old to work." The remaining 2,000 wagons are not too flash either.
VNR acquires about 300 new wagons each year, says Director General Nguyen Huu Bang.
"Such a number is too small to meet the rapid increase in demand for rail transport.
"The VNR must find a solution or it will be defeated by other transport services."
Ha Noi (VNA) The Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) has helped Viet Nam create The Set of National Technical Railway Regulations and Standards in an effort to modernise the railway systems within the country.
The National Technical Railway Regulation and Standard Study was signed on Oct. 31 by representatives of the Science and Technology Department, the Ministry of Transport, the Viet Nam Railway Administration (VNRA) and JICA.
The objectives of the study are to establish technical regulations for the national railway, to establish a set of national standards for urban railways and to transfer technologies and skills to personnel involved in the study. The study will tentatively last for 15 months, beginning in February 2008.
After mote than 125 years of development, the Viet Nam Railway, specifically the urban rail, is faced with the need to modernise. Many construction projects for new, modern railway lines, in an effort to meet the increasing demands of large urban areas, are in the planning stages. For the construction and operation of modern railway lines that are quick, convenient, safe and consistent, a set of national railway regulations and standards is essential.
According to the VNRA, after being approved, these regulations and standards will be applied nationwide to urban railway projects. It will be a milestone in the history of the Viet Nam Railway for the first time ever, Viet Nam will have a railway regulation and standard that is comparable to those of other developed countries around the world.-Enditem
Posted: 02/11/2007 5:15 pm Post subject: รถไฟหรูสายไซ่ง่อน - ญาตรัง
HCM City-Nha Trang luxury train to run
Vietnam News Agency 02/11/2007 -- 11:29 AM
HCM City (VNA) The Railway Transport and Trade Joint-Stock Co and the Sai Gon Railway Passenger Transport Co signed a cooperation agreement to begin a luxury train line catering to business travelers and tourists between Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang.
The Golden Lines train will run four daily carriages linked to the SN2 train to Nha Trang and the SN1 train from Nha Trang to HCM City .
The trains, which cater to middle and upper-class passengers, will include lavish interior decorations and contain seven cabins furnished with beds only.
Each cabin will be large enough to fit four people and contain deluxe-sized beds to provide travelers with the most comfortable accommodations. Golden Line will also have business cabins that include one bed and modern facilities for those who need privacy. Enditem
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