Illustrative image (Source: VNA) According to TranThe Hung, General Director of the Railway Transport and TradingJoint Stock Company (Ratraco), said that while a drop wasseen in passenger transport, the transport of goods rose 20 percent in volumeand 16 percent in revenue.
Regarding theefficiency of the Vietnam-Belgium direct railway route, which has been launchedsince July with three trips so far, Hung said that although specificeffectiveness has yet to be evaluated, the Vietnamese railway sector’s engagementin logistics service supply chain has provided more options for exporters whenmaritime shipment faces surging costs and takes longer time.
Departing from Yen Vien Station in Hanoi, the train with 23 containers stops atZhenzhou city of China’s Henan province and connect to the Asia-Europe train toreach its destination.
Due to limited railway infrastructure and containermanagement, Ratraco has yet to be able to carry all 41 containers in atrain to Europe, said Hung.
He added that the firm is working with partners to develop plans to operate one trip per week in a fixed schedule from Vietnam toBelgium. The firm expects to launch additional routes from Vietnam to Germany,Russia and Poland at the end of the third quarter.
The Ratraco leader held that in the long term, it isnecessary to connect railways with seaports, thus optimising the efficiency ofboth transport types and reducing cost and environmental pollution./.
VNA
