The interior of one of the two new trains that are on a pilot run on the Sài Gòn - Nha Trang route since August 9. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM City — The Sài Gòn Railway Transport Joint Stock Company and Jinxin Group (Vietnam) Railway Equipment Development Co., Ltd. launched trial runs of two new luxury trains from Sài Gòn to Nha Trang on August 9.

Each train, costing over VNĐ275 billion (US$10.9 million) to furbish, has six sleeping and five seating cars, a dining car and one for electricity generation.

Their interiors and amenities are similar to that of an aeroplane, with each seat in the sleeping coaches equipped with a personal TV for each passenger.

They have Wi-fi and air conditioning that adjusts the temperature in each cabin.

The trials are set to continue every other day until October 7 with the following schedule:

• Train SNT6 to depart Sài Gòn at 10:15pm and arrive in Nha Trang at 8:05am with stops at Dĩ An, Biên Hòa and Tháp Chàm.
• Train SNT3 to depart Nha Trang at 10:20pm and arrives in Sài Gòn at 9:15am

Thái Văn Truyền, general director of Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company, told Dân Việt newspaper that the new trains are aimed at improving quality and capacity, especially during the peak September 2nd holiday.

The company is offering a 5 per cent discount on the first five trains in either direction.

Additional discounts of 5-15 per cent are on offer for passengers booking tickets 10 days in advance (excluding four-bed cabins).

Group tickets for 11 or more people are eligible for 3-12 per cent discounts.

Passengers who buy two-way tickets can get 5-10 per cent off on their return trip.

There are also discounts for certain social policy beneficiaries like Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, war veterans, the elderly, children, and passengers with customer cards. VNS