The Saigon Railway Company has rejected a proposal that having the HCM City station and rail tracks in an urban area causes traffic congestion and so should be moved to the suburbs or a neighbouring province.

People purchases tickets at the Saigon Railway Station in HCM City. 

The demand has been raised on several online public forums following the recent collapse of the Ghenh Bridge, which is causing people to commute to neighbouring Dong Nai Province to catch trains.

According to the company, while the tracks intersect roads at some points, the intersection points are not too congested.

Around 10 trains depart from or arrived at Saigon Railway Station carrying 1,000 passengers each. For them it is much more convenient if the station is in the city rather than in a suburban area, railway executives said.

If the station is moved to Thu Duc District or Binh Duong Province as suggested, more than 3,000 staff also have to travel there daily, they pointed out.     

They suggested that while waiting for the laying of elevated tracks between Saigon and Trang Bom station in Tay Ninh Province, which was approved by the Government in 2013, traffic at road-rail intersection points should be reorganised.

The US$200 million project is awaiting an investor.

The company is also making plans to operate trains from HCM City to Binh Duong and Dong Nai to help reduce the congestion in the city’s streets.   

In a recent online survey by Tuoi Tre newspaper, three-fourths of respondents approved relocation of the Saigon Railway Station from the city though insiders and experts and rejected the proposal.

The newspaper quoted Ha Ngoc Truong, a standing member of the HCM City Union of Science and Technology Association, as saying the traffic congestion would worsen if the station is moved to Thu Duc or Binh Duong since 30 buses would be required to transport the 1,000 passengers each time a train leaves or arrives.

Instead, the railway network should undergo major changes and be connected with bus, taxi, and metro routes to make it convenient for travellers.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong has said the station will not be relocated since it is included in the Government’s transport master plan.

VNS