Many passenger trains are organized to run extra on holidays, but increased travel demand causes some routes from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi to tourist destinations and the Central region to "sold out".
April 27 - the peak day before the April 4 holiday, Saigon station is bustling with visitors. During the day, 30 trains left the station heading to the Central and North regions, all full.
Taking train SE22 departing from the station at 11:27 a.m. on April 4 to Da Nang, Ms. Nguyen Phuong, 33 years old, said this was the first time she went on holiday by train because she usually buys plane tickets to shorten the journey. . However, this year, airfare prices are high and it is very expensive for the whole family to travel, so about a month ago she went online to order three train tickets, each over a million dong.
"This price is basically affordable. This vacation is long, so even though taking the train takes more time than flying, you can still have fun at home," Ms. Phuong said, adding that SE22 is also a train. Newly put into operation with high quality and many amenities, the family is quite excited on the journey home for the holidays.
Passengers take the train at Saigon station, April 27. Image: Gia minh
Unlike Ms. Phuong, Mr. Van Hung, 40 years old, living in District 3, said that because his work depends on the holiday schedule, he cannot proactively book tickets early. Half a month ago, when the vacation time was scheduled to last for 5 consecutive days, he planned to go to Nha Trang with his family. However, at this time all trains are full.
“For journeys that are not too far from Ho Chi Minh City, I often choose to take the train because I feel safe. The train's journey is also quite punctual, without worrying about delays, many procedures like flying," he said, adding that because he could not buy a ticket, he decided to rent a car to drive himself to travel because high-quality passenger cars were available. all site.
Mr. Le Anh Tuan, Director of Saigon Railway Transport Branch, of Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company, said the demand for train travel during this year's holidays is nearly equal to last year due to fewer holidays. a day. However, purchasing power is faster, so after only a short time of opening for sale, many routes from Ho Chi Minh City to tourist destinations such as Nha Trang, Phu Yen, Binh Thuan, Quy Nhon, Da Nang... have already been booked.
Passengers on the high-quality train SE22, journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, April 27. Image: Gia minh
According to Mr. Tuan, the total number of tickets the company opens for sale this year is about 55.000 for both departure and return. In particular, the afternoon departure on the peak days April 26-28 is full of seats early, the afternoon return to Saigon on April 4-May 30, many routes also have no tickets left.
"If demand continues to increase dramatically, the railway will organize more trains to serve customers," Mr. Tuan said, adding that previously to meet holiday travel, in addition to daily trains, the company has adding 34 trains from Saigon to Phan Thiet, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon, Quang Ngai and vice versa.
Also according to the Saigon Railway Transport Branch, this year's holiday train ticket prices increase by about 5-20% compared to normal days, depending on the type of train, seat type, travel date... However, the company still applies the following regulations: Regular ticket price reduction policy such as for war invalids, people with disabilities, the elderly, children, students... In addition, on April 30 and May 4 this year, the railway also applies round-trip ticket price reductions of 1 % return ticket price for individuals traveling alone and 5% discount on return ticket price for groups of 5 people or more.
In the North, Hanoi Railway Transport Joint Stock Company said this year's holiday will provide about 140.000 tickets, including North - South trains and short trips to localities. As of April 26, this unit has sold more than 4 tickets, reaching about 77.000% of the total number. The remaining seats are mostly on trains from other places running empty to Hanoi on April 56-28, or returning from Hanoi on April 29-May 4. Particularly on peak days before the holiday, tickets from Hanoi to other localities are sold out, and there are no seats left on the return days from April 30 to May 4.
The "VIP" compartment is designed with only two beds, similar to the sofa style on the train SE22 Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang. Image: Gia minh
Previously, to meet the travel needs of people during the holidays, in addition to daily trains, Hanoi Railway Transport Joint Stock Company also organized the running of 36 additional trains on routes with great demand, such as from Hanoi. Go to Lao Cai, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Dong Hoi, Hai Phong. Among them, the most frequent routes are Hanoi - Vinh and Hanoi - Hai Phong. However, the extra trains that are organized to run are full of seats early on peak days because the number of passengers increases.
Mr. Hoang Gia Khanh, General Director of Vietnam Railway Corporation, said that not only on holidays, train passengers have increased rapidly in recent times, and many people choose it for travel and entertainment...
In addition to continuing to calculate and coordinate appropriate train operations, Mr. Khanh said that the railway is promoting upgrading trains and increasing service quality to meet the increasingly strict requirements of customers. On April 27, the high-quality train SE4/22 on the Saigon - Da Nang route was put into operation also in this orientation.
"In parallel with innovating equipment and services on trains, the railway industry is investing in renovating, embellishing, and exploiting waiting rooms to serve passengers at Saigon, Da Nang, Nha Trang stations...", Mr. Khanh speak.
Doan Loan – Gia Minh
