North–South railway (Vietnam) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids North–South railway
The North - South railway line through Quang Nam
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	Vietnam Railways
Locale	Vietnam
Termini	Hanoi Saigon
Stations	175
Website	https://dsvn.vn/
Service
Type	Inter-city rail Regional rail Freight rail
System	Vietnam Railways
Services	16 trains per day (80-85 trains per day for holidays, Tết)
Route number	ĐSBN
Operator(s)	Vietnam Railways
Depot(s)	Hanoi Vinh Dong Hoi Da Nang Dieu Tri station Nha Trang Binh Thuan Saigon
Rolling stock	D9E, D13E, D19E, D20E
History
Opened	1936
Built by	French Colonial Administration
Technical
Line length	1,726 km (1,072 mi)
Number of tracks	Single-track railway
Character	At-grade
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Minimum radius	≥800m/≥400m
Electrification	No
Operating speed	100 km/h (62 mph)
Signalling	ETCS Level 2
Maximum incline	≤6‰/≤9‰

The North–South railway is the main train line in Vietnam. It connects the capital city of Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon) in the south. This single-track line is about 1,726 km (1,072 mi) long.

People sometimes call trains on this line the Reunification Express. This name refers to the Reunification of Vietnam after the war. However, no train officially has this name. The railway was built when France ruled Vietnam, taking almost 40 years to complete, from 1899 to 1936. By 2005, most of Vietnam's train stations were on this line.

From World War II through the Vietnam War, the North–South railway was badly damaged by bombs and attacks. Because of this damage and a lack of money for repairs, much of the railway was old or in poor condition. This led to train accidents, like crashes at road crossings or trains going off the tracks. Recently, projects supported by international aid have helped make the line safer and more efficient. As of 2007, most of Vietnam's train passengers and cargo traveled on this line. The national train company, Vietnam Railways, owns and runs the railway.

Discovering the North–South Railway

A train stops at Huế station on the North-South railway.

This 1,726 km (1,072 mi) long train line mostly follows Vietnam's coastline. It starts in Hanoi and goes through many provinces like Hà Nam, Ninh Bình, Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An (Vinh), Quảng Bình (Đồng Hới), Thừa Thiên–Huế (Huế), Da Nang, Khánh Hòa (Nha Trang), and Bình Thuận (Phan Thiết). It finally ends in Ho Chi Minh City.

Trains on this route pass through many beautiful places. These include the Hải Vân Pass and Lăng Cô Peninsula near Huế. They also pass Vân Phong Bay near Nha Trang. A typical trip from one end of the line to the other takes about 30 hours. In Hanoi, passengers can connect to other train lines. These lines go to places like Haiphong, Hạ Long Bay, and even to China.

In 2007, the North–South line carried 85% of all train passengers. It also carried 60% of all cargo in Vietnam. These numbers are similar to how much traffic the line carried in the early 1990s.

Passenger Train Services

Vietnam Railways offers daily passenger train services along the entire North–South railway. Express trains connect Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, stopping at major stations. Local trains also run on shorter parts of the line. For example, you can take a local train from Hanoi to Vinh or from Vinh to Quy Nhon.

Here are some of the regular passenger trains:

Cargo Train Services

Vietnam Railways also provides daily cargo transport. This service mainly runs between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Cargo service to Da Nang is also available.

Here are some of the regular cargo trains:

History of the Railway

The building of Vietnam's railway system from 1881 to 1966.

In 1895, a French leader named Jean Marie de Lanessan believed that railways were needed to connect different parts of Indochina (which included Vietnam). He wanted a north–south railway to link Hanoi and Saigon. He called it "the backbone of Indochina."

Another leader, Paul Doumer, started building this railway in 1897. The French government agreed to fund the project. Construction of the North–South railway began in 1899. It took over 30 years to finish, with different sections opening over time. The first part, from Hanoi to Vinh, was built from 1899 to 1905. The section from Nha Trang to Saigon was built from 1905 to 1913. Finally, on October 2, 1936, the entire 1,726 km (1,072 mi) Hanoi–Saigon line was fully open.

The first trips on the new line, called the Transindochinois, took about 60 hours. By the late 1930s, this time was cut to about 40 hours. Trains traveled at an average speed of 43 km/h (27 mph). These trains had dining cars and sleeping cars for passengers.

Wartime Challenges

During World War II, Japanese forces used Vietnam's railways. This led to attacks on the railway by Vietnamese groups and American planes. After the war, people tried to repair the damaged North–South line.

However, the First Indochina War started soon after. Vietnamese fighters continued to damage the railway to fight against the French. The French even used an armored train called La Rafale to carry goods and watch the line. But the attacks continued. In 1954, after the Geneva Accords, Vietnam was split into two parts: North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The North–South railway was also divided at the Hiền Lương Bridge.

A repair crew installs new railway tracks in South Vietnam.

During the Vietnam War, the North–South railway was a target for both sides. South Vietnam, with help from the United States, rebuilt the track between Saigon and Huế in the late 1950s. But many attacks by Vietnamese forces made it hard for the railway to carry much cargo. Between 1961 and 1964 alone, there were 795 attacks. This forced South Vietnam to abandon many parts of the track. The U.S. Army was interested in the railway because it could move large amounts of supplies cheaply.

In North Vietnam, American bombing focused on important targets like railway bridges. One very difficult target was the Thanh Hóa Bridge. This bridge was used for both roads and trains and was well-protected. Despite many bombing attempts, the North Vietnamese always repaired the damage. The bridge was finally destroyed in 1972 using special laser-guided bombs.

After the war ended in 1975, the new government of unified Vietnam took control of the railway. Even though it was heavily damaged, the North–South railway was repaired and reopened on December 31, 1976. This reopening was seen as a symbol of Vietnam's unity. In a short time, 1334 bridges, 27 tunnels, and many stations were repaired. Some other railway lines were taken apart to get materials to fix the main North–South line.

Train Accidents and Incidents

On March 10, 2015, a train pulled by a D19E locomotive crashed into a truck at a road crossing near Dien Sanh. The locomotive was badly damaged.

Train Stations Along the Line

This list includes all major train stations with regular services. In 2005, there were 278 stations on Vietnam's railway network. Out of these, 191 were located along the North–South line.

Km	Station	Region	Province	City/Dist./Ward	Opened	Notes	Photo
0	Hanoi	Red River Delta	Hanoi	Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi	1902	Connects to other lines like Hanoi–Haiphong and Hanoi–Lào Cai.	Hanoi Railway Station
5	Giáp Bát	Red River Delta	Hanoi	Hoang Mai District, Hanoi		Mainly for cargo trains.	Giáp Bát Railway Station
56	Phủ Lý	Red River Delta	Hà Nam	Hai Ba Trung Ward, Phủ Lý			Phủ Lý Railway Station
87	Nam Định	Red River Delta	Nam Định	Nam Định			Photo
115	Ninh Bình	Red River Delta	Ninh Bình	Thanh Binh Ward, Ninh Bình			Ninh Bình Railway Station
176	Thanh Hóa	North Central Coast	Thanh Hóa	Tan Son Ward, Thanh Hóa			Thanh Hóa Railway Station
319	Vinh	North Central Coast	Nghệ An	Lê Lợi Ward, Vinh	1905		Vinh Railway Station
522	Đồng Hới	North Central Coast	Quảng Bình	Nam Ly Ward, Đồng Hới			Đồng Hới Railway Station
622	Đông Hà	North Central Coast	Quảng Trị	Đông Hà			Đông Hà Railway Station
688	Huế	North Central Coast	Thua Thiên-Huế	Huế	1906		Huế Railway Station
777	Kim Lien	South Central Coast	Da Nang			Mainly for cargo trains.
791	Đà Nẵng	South Central Coast	Da Nang	Thanh Khe District	1902		Đà Nẵng Railway Station
865	Tam Kỳ	South Central Coast	Quảng Nam	An Xuan Ward, Tam Ky			Tam Kỳ Railway Station
928	Quảng Ngãi	South Central Coast	Quảng Ngãi	Quang Phu Ward, Quảng Ngãi			Quảng Ngãi Railway Station
1096	Diêu Trì	South Central Coast	Bình Định	Diêu Trì, Tuy Phước District		Connects to Quy Nhơn.	Dieu Tri Railway Station
1096*	Quy Nhơn	South Central Coast	Bình Định	Quy Nhơn			Quy Nhơn Railway Station
1198	Tuy Hòa	South Central Coast	Phú Yên	Ward 2, Tuy Hòa			Tuy Hòa Railway Station
1315	Nha Trang	South Central Coast	Khánh Hòa	Phuoc Tan Ward - Nha Trang	1936		Nha Trang Railway Station
1408	Tháp Chàm	South Central Coast	Ninh Thuận	My Huong Ward, Phan Rang – Tháp Chàm		Used to connect to the Da Lat–Thap Cham line.	Thap Cham Railway Station
1551	Bình Thuận	South Central Coast	Bình Thuận	Muong Man		Connects to Phan Thiết.	Bình Thuận Railway Station
1697	Biên Hòa	Southeast	Đồng Nai	Trung Dung Ward, Biên Hòa			Biên Hòa Railway Station
1711	Sóng Thần	Southeast	Ho Chi Minh City	An Binh, Di An District		Mainly for cargo trains.	Photo
1726	Sai Gon	Southeast	Ho Chi Minh City	Ward 9, District 3	1983		Saigon Railway Station

Railway Infrastructure

Tracks at a level crossing near Mỹ Sơn.

Much of Vietnam's railway system has been damaged over time. This is mainly due to the Vietnam War and a lack of money for repairs. Recently, projects with international help have replaced some of the most important parts of the railway. However, there is still a lot of work to do. Seasonal floods can also cause big damage to the railway. For example, heavy rains in October 2010 washed away parts of the track.

Train Tracks

The North–South railway line uses a "metre gauge" track. This means the distance between the two rails is one meter. This type of track was common on local railways in France when the line was built.

Bridges on the Line

Long Biên Bridge, a famous railway bridge in Hanoi, Vietnam.

There are about 1,300 railway bridges along the North–South line. Many of these bridges are old and still have damage from the Vietnam War. Even though they were temporarily fixed after the war, many still need major repairs. As of 2007, 278 bridges on the North–South line needed big rehabilitation work.

Tunnels on the Line

The North–South line has 27 railway tunnels. Their total length is about 8,335 m (27,346 ft). Some tunnels do not drain water well. This causes water leaks and means trains must slow down when passing through them.

Signalling System

The North–South railway uses a semi-automatic block system. This system allows signals to work either automatically or manually. New automatic signal systems have been installed at important crossings. This has helped reduce train accidents.

Communication Systems

Since 1998, special technology has been used along the North–South railway. This technology helps send television signals. A fiber optic cable network has also been set up along some parts of the line. Vietnam Railways plans to extend this network to cover the entire line. The railway also uses a modern digital phone system. Old manual phone systems are slowly being replaced with newer digital ones.

Improving Safety on the Railway

An unprotected level crossing in Da Nang.

Along the North–South railway, there are 3,650 places where roads cross the train tracks. About 3,000 of these crossings (82%) do not have barriers, alarms, or guards. This means that accidents involving vehicles and people happen often. One expert said that "usually, an accident occurs every day." Many bridges and tunnels are also old and damaged. This forces trains to slow down to speeds as low as 15 kilometres per hour (9.3 mph). Also, the middle part of Vietnam often has severe floods each year. These floods can wash away bridges, causing long delays.

Recent efforts to fix the railway and new safety rules by Vietnam Railways have helped reduce accidents. These safety measures include:

• Sharing information about railway safety in the news.
• Building fences and safety barriers at important road crossings in big cities.
• Having volunteers help control traffic at train stations and crossings, especially during holidays.
• Installing more automatic signal systems.
• Building bridges over the tracks and tunnels under them to redirect traffic.

Railway Repairs and Upgrades

The railway system in Vietnam is getting better, but it still needs a lot of work. The government only started making rail transport a top priority around the mid-1990s. Before that, most of the railway was in very bad shape from decades of war.

Railroad workers in Da Nang.

From 1994 to 2005, a big project repaired many bridges on the North–South railway. This project cost about 11,020 million JPY. The repairs helped trains travel faster. For example, the trip from one end of the line to the other went from 36 hours in 1994 to 29 hours in 2007. Train speed limits on repaired bridges also increased from 15 to 30 km/h (9.3 to 18.6 mph) to 60 to 80 km/h (37 to 50 mph). These improvements also helped reduce the number of railway accidents.

In 2007, Vietnam Railways signed another contract for 150 billion VND (about US$9.5 million). This project aims to further improve bridge and railway safety on the North–South line. The goals include fixing 44 bridges and 37.6 km (23.4 mi) of tracks. They also plan to build two new railway bridges and a new station in Ninh Bình. This project was expected to finish in 2010.

Future Plans for the Railway

Japanese Shinkansen technology has been suggested for the proposed North–South Express Railway. (Photo: Taiwan High Speed Rail)

North–South Express Railway

Vietnam Railways has suggested building a new high-speed train line. This line would connect Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Trains on this new line could travel at speeds of 300 to 350 km/h (186 to 217 mph). The project could cost around $56 billion. Most of the money would come from the Vietnamese government. Japan might also provide aid if Vietnam uses Japanese high-speed train technology, like the Shinkansen. If built, this high-speed line would allow trains to travel between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in about 6 hours. However, Vietnam's National Assembly did not approve the plan in June 2010. They asked for more study on the project.

Images for kids

• 

  Travelling from Hội An to Hanoi.

• 

  Travelling northward from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang.

• 

  A passenger observes the scenery from her seat.

• 

  Railway tracks in Hanoi.

• 

  Railway track beneath the Hai Van Pass.

See also

• List of railway lines in Vietnam
• North–South Express Railway (Vietnam)
• Vietnam Railways