The first train passes through the newly restored section of the railway line. — VNA/VNS Photo Tường Quân

HÀ NỘI — The North-South railway line has officially been reopened, restoring transportation after hundreds of trips were cancelled due to the impact of the Storm No.13 (Typhoon Kalmaegi).

According to the Việt Nam Railways (VNR), late on Monday night, the North-South railway segment passing through Xuân Lãnh Commune, the south-central province of Đắk Lắk was back in operation after four days of suspension.

Typhoon Kalmaegi caused severe damage throughout the system with more than 400 signal poles were broken and fallen and hundreds of passenger trips cancelled, severely crippling operations.

Equipment and machinery are assigned to the construction site. — VNA/VNS Photo Tường Quân

The section hit hardest by landslide section was located at Km 1136, in the Vân Canh-Phước Lãnh area of Xuân Lãnh Commune -- where about 60m of railway foundation was washed away, with an average depth of 9m, completely paralysing the Hà Nội-HCM City route.

The total length of the damaged area was over 90m.

Nguyễn Quốc Vượng, Deputy General Director of VNR, said accessing the site was very difficult due to rugged terrain and being cut off by the typhoon.

It took nearly a day for forces to reach the landslide-hit site to assess and plan recovery.

Immediately after, an urgent 300-metre service road from National Route 19C was rapidly constructed to transport equipment and materials to the site.

More than 300 workers along with dozens of specialised machines and equipment were assigned to the scene, working continuously day and night with the highest determination to restore this vital route.

The emergency solution deployed was to build a temporary three-span bridge in the landslide area. This is the first phase of two steps to quickly restore North-South railway transport.

Staff work day and night with the highest determination to restore the vital route. — VNA/VNS Photo Tường Quân

Currently, during phase one, trains are permitted to run again at a limited speed of 5km per hour, ensuring absolute safety for passengers and infrastructure.

After that, VNR will continue to reinforce the railway foundation and increase train speeds to 15km/h, then 30km/h within the next 45 days, before moving to phase two – building a permanent steel bridge.

"With a steel bridge span of about 45-50m, construction usually takes six to nine months. VNR has proposed that the authorities promptly approve phase two to enhance operational capacity and ensure absolute safety for trains," Vượng said.

Regarding the operation schedule, VNR announced that trains SE7/SE8 departing from Hà Nội and Sài Gòn stations on Tuesday will temporarily stop operation to serve traffic regulation and technical inspection after the line reopening. Passengers who have purchased tickets can refund them within 30 days from the date printed on the tickets at all railway stations nationwide. — VNS