Red light for Vietnam-China passenger trains, green for cargo trains

By Doan Loan   February 4, 2020 | 09:15 pm PT
Red light for Vietnam-China passenger trains, green for cargo trains
A train headed for northern Lao Cai Province. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.
The Transport Ministry has suspended passenger trains to China, but allowed freight trains to operate amidst the novel coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak.

Passenger trains from Nanning, the capital of China’s southern Guanxi region, to Hanoi stopped operating from 6:05 p.m. Tuesday, while those travelling in the other direction will be suspended from 9:20 p.m. on Wednesday.

However, trains carrying cargo are still allowed to cross Lao Cai (in the eponymous province) and Dong Dang (northern Lang Son Province) border stations to ship goods between the two countries. On an average day, two or three trains cross the Lao Cai station, while fewer go through Dong Dang.

The transport ministry has assigned Vietnam Railway Authority and Vietnam Railways Corporation, which operates the railway system in Vietnam, to coordinate with border authorities to conduct surveillance and epidemic prevention measures on trains crossing the Vietnam-China border.

The death toll from the epidemic has so far reached 492. It has spread to 26 countries and territories. Vietnam has recorded 10 confirmed cases of nCoV infections, three of whom have been discharged. 

 
 
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