Unfinished railway station turned into parking space, market

Ha Long Station is a part of Ha Long – Cai Lan, a sub-project of the Yen Vien – Pha Lai – Ha Long – Cai Lan railway construction project. Construction started in 2005, but by October 2011, only the 6-km section of Ha Long – Cai Lan Port – Ban Co Overpass was completed and put in use, while the remaining 120 km was left unfinished due to financial difficulties.

Built to international standards, Ha Long Station has a waiting room, a ticket office, an operating area and a working area for employees. The station also has an underground area to help passengers access another train without having to cross the railway, a souvenir shop, a playground for children and a food zone.

However, after nearly ten years of operation, the station only receives a single train carrying passengers and goods from Yen Vien, Hanoi every day.

Nguyen Duc Tan, head of Ha Long Station, said that the Yen Vien – Cai Lan route has not been completed and rail infrastructure is not synchronized. While most railways in Vietnam have a gauge of 1,000 mm, the Yen Vien – Cai Lan railway follows the international standard gauge (1,435 mm), so it is only able to run from Hanoi to Thai Nguyen and Dong Dang, both in northern Vietnam.

The train running from Ha Long to Hanoi’s Yen Vien thus has to go around Kep Station in Bac Giang Province and then enter the Hanoi – Lang Son route to reach Yen Vien. The train used on this route is really old and slow as it has been operating since 1987. It takes seven hours from Ha Long to Yen Vien by train, while only three hours by car.

Tan and three staff members take turns cleaning the station every day even though there is no train coming here.

“We still get paid, but it’s sad that there is no train coming. We have no clue what the fate of this railway would be,” Tan said.

Currently, the area around Ha Long Station is used for parking and a market. On the railway, trains stand to rust. The two-story operating center is also empty.

A carriage left to rust on the railway. Photo by VnExpress/Le Tan

Recently, voters of Quang Ninh Province asked authorities to consider the feasibility of the Yen Vien – Pha Lai – Ha Long – Cai Lan railway project.

On Tuesday, in a reply to voters, the Ministry of Transport said the railway network plan is to complete Yen Vien – Pha Lai – Ha Long – Cai Lan by 2030 in order to develop transportation, ensure connectivity and optimize transport costs along the route.

The Yen Vien – Pha Lai – Ha Long – Cai Lan project is 131 kilometers long with a total investment of VND7,665 billion and divided into four sub-projects operating independently. Starting in 2005, only one sub-project, Ha Long – Cai Lan, has been completed. The remaining three sub-projects including Yen Vien – Lim, Lim – Pha Lai, Pha Lai – Ha Long have already seen ground clearance, road foundation construction and some other items.