Vietnam-Europe freight train opens up new transport route: experts
Hanoi (VNA) – The freight train from Vietnam to Europe is operating very well after putting
into operation for more than four months, according to Tran The Hung, General Director of Rail Transport and Trade Joint Stock Company
(Ratraco).
The train runs between Yen Vien
Railway Station in Hanoi and the Belgian city of Liege, where the goods are unloaded and sent by trucks to the final destination, the Dutch city
of Rotterdam. A trip takes about 30-35 days.
The railway industry has so far operated 28 trains with more than 640 forty-foot containers.
Currently, the company
runs three trips per week on average and plans to increase to 4-5 trips next
year. The trains carry such goods as machinery, office equipment, electronics,
furniture and textiles.
Hung said that the
cost of shipping containers by sea has increased remarkably, creating an
opportunity for the railway industry to increase its market share. However, due to
limited infrastructure and transportation capacity, it takes time for the industry
to make necessary preparation.
In addition to running a direct
transport route to Europe, the Vietnam Railways Corporation also operates freight
trains with only some carriages running directly to Europe, whereby
the train departs from Yen Vien station to China and then the carriages are connected to other
freight trains bound to other destinations in China and Europe.
The freight train service is opening up a new transport axis for the Vietnamese railway industry, offering chances to transport many Vietnamese goods to Europe at a low cost and reasonable time, according to transport experts.
A difficulty of the railway industry in intermodal transport that needs to be solved soon is the lack of infrastructure systems such as warehouses, yards, means of transport, and containers. Therefore, it is necessary to consider investment in upgrading some of stations and cargo yards on the route./.