Da Lat Night Train

From mid-April, the Da Lat - Trai Mat tourist train will add overnight trips and open a screening room showing films about Da Lat's history on board.

The Da Lat - Trai Mat tourist train will operate additional night trips, with tickets going on sale for tourists from April 14th. The train will pass through flower-growing areas illuminated by lights, allowing tourists to admire the city of a thousand flowers at night.

According to Vietnam Railways Corporation , before officially starting on April 14th, the railway sector will offer trial trains at a price of 1,000 VND from April 11th to 13th. The night trains, including trains DL11/12 and DL13/14, will depart from 6:15 PM to 9:20 PM daily.

Da Lat - Trai Mat Night Train Service — **The exterior of Da Lat train station.** Photo: faliqhan

Ticket prices range from 72,000 VND to 100,000 VND for a one-way trip. Passengers purchasing round-trip tickets receive a 25% discount, while group bookings of 10 or more people receive a 15-40% discount. The train serves artichoke tea and offers free Wi-Fi.

To enhance the visitor experience, the vintage Da Lat - Trai Mat railway line also features a documentary screening room about the history of Da Lat station and the Thap Cham - Da Lat rack railway. The screening room has been open to the public since April 14th.

Previously, Vietnam Railways Corporation organized many notable events at Da Lat station and on the vintage Da Lat - Trai Mat railway line, such as launching the "Railway - Flower Road" movement, renovating the station, refurbishing locomotives and carriages in a vintage style, and organizing events and cultural performances on the trains.

Mr. Le Anh Kiet, Head of the Culture and Information Department of Da Lat City, said that the Da Lat - Trai Mat railway line currently in operation is part of the Thap Cham - Da Lat rack railway line that is about to be restored.

In August 2023, the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee issued a plan outlining the development of railway transport until 2030, with a vision to 2045, focusing on restoring, renovating, and effectively exploiting the unique Da Lat - Thap Cham rack railway for tourism purposes. Of the more than 83 km long rack railway, only the nearly 7 km section from Trai Mat to Da Lat is currently operating tourist trains.

"The Da Lat - Trai Mat railway line is a unique tourism product of the city. The two stations are also popular check-in and photo spots for young tourists," Mr. Kiet said.

The railway line uses cogwheels, traversing the coastal region to the highlands. In addition to the cogwheel track, cogwheels are also installed in the locomotives to navigate the mountain passes on the Lam Vien plateau.

The Thap Cham - Da Lat line was one of the first two rack railways climbing mountains in the world, construction began in 1908, was completed in 1932, and put into operation four years later. This was a long and unique rack railway, not only in Vietnam but also in the world. After 1975, almost all the tracks and sleepers on this line were dismantled.

The Thap Cham - Da Lat railway line runs through Phan Rang city, Ninh Son district, Ninh Thuan province, to Don Duong district, Da Lat city, Lam Dong province. The railway restoration project is expected to be implemented from January 2025 to June 2029. Upon completion, there will be 16 stations and passenger terminals, adding two stations and two passenger terminals compared to the old line. Bridges, tunnels, and stations will be newly constructed. The section from Trai Mat station to Da Lat station, currently in operation, will also be upgraded, and the stations will be renovated and preserved.

Before the addition of the night service, the Da Lat - Trai Mat train ran 1-2 trips per day. On weekends, there were 2-3 trips. Ticket prices ranged from 88,000 to 98,000 VND per trip, depending on the type of seat.

According to vnexpress.net

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