Vietnam to reopen north-south railway bridge after historic collapse

By Bui Hong Nhung June 13, 2016 | 04:11 am PT

The railway bridge in the southern province of Dong Nai will resume operations on June 26 after its collapse in March this year, said Do Quang Van, brand director of Saigon Railways Transport Company.

The director says that Ghenh Bridge will be back in service on June 26, a month earlier than planned.

The bridge collapsed on March 20 after being struck by a barge, severing the crucial north-south railway line between Saigon Station in Ho Chi Minh City and Song Than Station in neighboring Dong Nai Province.

vietnam-to-reopen-north-south-railway-bridge-after-historic-collapse

Collapsed Ghenh Bridge. Photo by VnExpress/Phuoc Tuan

Data from Vietnam Railways Company show that after the collapse, the total volume of goods transported on the north-south route for the first five months of this year fell by 28 percent to 448,000 tons against the same period of last year. Passenger numbers also declined by 18 percent on-year to more than 780,000 people.

As a result, Saigon Railways Transport Company's revenue plummeted by 40 percent on year to $4.3 million while the Hanoi branch collected $6.7 million, down 32 percent.

Ghenh Bridge, built more than 100 year ago during the French colonial period, is considered the symbol of Dong Nai province. It is used by both trains and private vehicles.

> Tons of goods stranded after railway bridge collapse

> Collapsed railway bridge to be repaired by mid-July