According to the head of Yen Bai Train Station, Tran Duc Dong, the Hanoi-Lao Cai railway used to be the main transportation route connecting the capital and some northwestern provinces of Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho, Yen Bai, and Lao Cai when the National Road 70 was narrow and was plagued by accident risks.
Yen Bai Station used to be very crowded
"Before 2014, Yen Bai used to be a busy station with up to 14-16 trains stopping here day and night," Dong recalled. "We used to be very busy and had to work extra time to serve the large number of passengers."
However, things have changed since the Hanoi-Lao Cai Expressway was put into operation in 2014. The number of people going by train to Yen Bai has sharply dropped, the official shared.
Only a few passenger come to buy tickets.
"We're only selling a few tickets for two passenger trains a day, while over 90 percent of trains that stop here are moving freight," Dong said. "Our revenues have sharply fallen to only VND30 million (USD1,221) a month from VND2 billion (USD81,410) of the time before 2014."
The official said that some of the staff havc chosen to stay as they are near retirement age and they want to wait for pension and social insurance from the railway sector.
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