Many foreign passengers have had a hard time getting updates about train schedule changes and shuttle buses at Saigon Railway Station after the Ghenh Bridge in Dong Nai Province collapsed at noon on Sunday.

The collapse of the old rail bridge, caused by a sand-transporting barge, has disrupted all train services to and from HCMC. After the accident, the railway operator chose Bien Hoa Railway Station as the final stop in the south and suspended the train service between HCMC and Phan Thiet City in the central province of Binh Thuan Province.

Saigon Railway Station has posted up announcements in Vietnamese and English about daily train schedules and its plan to coach passengers to Bien Hoa where they can get on trains to travel to central and northern provinces.

However, foreign tourists have still found it difficult to learn about new schedules though they have read the notice and got explanations from staff at the station.

A French passenger identified as Guillaume said the notice did not specify the time and location of buses used to transport passengers to Bien Hoa. Spoken announcements were made in Vietnamese at the station, so he and his companion had to follow local passengers.

Tony Pierce, an American tourist, said he went to the station to have his bike transported to Hanoi before flying to the capital but realized the station had called off cargo service.

Pierce asked why the station did not have a notice in English to make life easy for foreign passengers.

Ngo Thanh Nhan, a tour guide of Lua Viet Tourist Company, said on the SNT train from Nha Trang to HCMC on Monday he saw many foreign tourists were bewildered after they were informed that they would have to get off the train at Bien Hoa station, instead of Saigon station.

Due to the suspension of the HCMC-Phan Thiet service, foreign passengers with a plan to go to Phan Thiet are advised to buy tickets for HCMC-Binh Thuan service. Saigon station said passengers who purchased tickets for HCMC-Phan Thiet service before the bridge collapse will be taken to Phan Thiet by bus from Binh Thuan station.

A South Korean tourist said he would take a coach to Phan Thiet due to a lack of information about Binh Thuan station and bus routes to Phan Thiet plus higher costs.

Ghenh Bridge repair to be complete in July

The Ministry of Transport has chosen a plan to build two supports and new spans for the Ghenh Bridge over the Dong Nai Bridge to ensure trains from central and northern regions would be able to travel to Saigon Railway Station in July.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Hong Truong approved the plan after the Vietnam Railways Corporation (VNR) and the consulting unit presented three plans to restore Ghenh Bridge.

The ministry set July 15 as the deadline for completing the repair of the bridge, which will be more than six meters above the water surface.

VNR said the selected plan would ensure safety for train services. The railway sector will have three new spans manufactured in about 2.5 months.

Truong urged the building of new spans, construction of supports and repair of the bridge to be finalized on July 15 at the latest to resume the train services to and from HCMC as scheduled.

Civil Engineering Construction Corporation No. 1 (Cienco 1) is assigned to salvage the bridge spans that sank in the river within 10 days.