The newly-built Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway offers a convenient route for travelers, but is also causing a sharp fall in ticket sales for the Hanoi-Lao Cai train route.
The Vietnamese railway sector is taking measures to attract passengers on Hanoi-Lao Cai train route
The route connects the capital with Lao Cai, the closest stop to Sapa, a well-known tourist destination. However, since the Noi Bai-Lao Cai Expressway was opened in September, the number of train passengers declined by 50 per cent.
Nguyen Van Binh, deputy director of of the Hanoi Railway Passenger Transport Company, said that the occupancy rate from Hanoi to Lao Cai is around 65 to 70 per cent, but from Lao Cai to Hanoi is close to zero.
“The reason is that passengers choose to catch coaches and buses on the newly-opened expressway to see landscape from the road,” Binh added.
Also, travelling by motor vehicle is much faster than by train. It takes only four hours on the 245-km road, while the train is eight hours.
In response to the decline in demand, ticket prices have been slashed by 25 per cent.
According to Binh, the demand for cargo transport remains high. Every year, around 1.7 million tonnes of apatite ore are transported on the route. The Vietnam Railway Corporation may focus more on cargo services in this context.
Binh added that the line is being upgraded, which should shorten travel time to 5.5 hours. The work is slated to be finished in the first quarter of 2015.
