North-South railway paralysed after Damrey

Difficult terrain and weather in Phu Yen Province are hindering the task to clear the North-South railway which was blocked by fallen trees and damaged by erosion in Ca Pass when Storm Damrey hit Vietnam on November 4.

Difficult terrain and weather in Phu Yen Province are hindering the task to clear the North-South railway which was blocked by fallen trees and landslides in Ca Pass when Storm Damrey hit Vietnam on November 4.

 

The North-South railway paralysed after Damrey

Chairman of Vietnam Railway Corporation Vu Anh Minh said on November 9 that he had arrived at the scene to find the best solution to fix the railway in the shortest time. Trains may be allowed to run at just 5km per hour by November 24 through this section.

The railway runs through Ca Pass, with a steep cliff on one side and the sea on the other side. As rains continue falling down in the past several days, the eroded area has spread from 20 metres to 50 metres long. 200 workers have been sent out to fix the railway at a height of 30 metres.

Most trains running through this area have been halted. Passengers to Ho Chi Minh City will have to stop at Tuy Hoa Station in Phu Yen Province and use buses to go to Van Gia Station in Khanh Hoa Province.

The railway through Ca Pass has many sections eroded or blocked by landslides. On November 5, Vietnam Railway Corporation held a meeting about the problem and announced it hoped to clear the railway by November 9.

Vietnam Railway Corporation has also planned to hire a French company specialised in the cable systems to help.