Repair works on a section of the North–South Railway in Khánh Hòa Province. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Construction on Monday declared an emergency related to the transport infrastructure of the Hà Nội–HCM City Railway, connecting the north and south of Việt Nam.

The rail track, which runs through the central and Central Highlands provinces of Gia Lai, Đắk Lắk, Khánh Hòa and Lâm Đồng, was heavily damaged by consecutive storms and historic floods from early to mid-November. 

The construction ministry has assigned the Việt Nam Railway Authority (VNRA) and the Việt Nam Railways Corporation (VNR) to carry out disaster-response tasks within their responsibilities.

These include reviewing and assessing the extent of the damage to railway infrastructure, proposing repair solutions and coordinating with the ministry’s Department of Planning and Finance to advise relevant authorities on funding arrangements, in accordance with regulations.

Upon completion of post-disaster repairs and works under the declared emergency, the VNRA and VNR must submit a report to the Ministry of Construction, which will serve as the basis for announcing the end of the emergency.

The ministry’s Department of Transport and Traffic Safety is responsible for overseeing and directing relevant units in implementing recovery efforts for the damaged railway infrastructure.

According to VNR’s report, the Hà Nội–HCM City Railway recorded 61 landslide points where the roadbed had been washed away with average depths of 0.4-4 metres and some sections misaligned by up to 4 metres. Damage to signal and communications systems was also reported. 

Sixteen railway stations were also affected by flooding, resulting in structural damage to buildings and equipment. These include Diêu Trì, Tân Vinh, Vân Canh, La Hai, Xuân Sơn Nam, Chí Thạnh, Hòa Đa, Tuy Hòa, Đông Tác, Phú Hiệp, Hảo Sơn, Lương Sơn, Cây Cầy, Ngã Ba, Kà Rôm and Phước Nhơn stations.

During the storms and floods, railway operators had to suspend train operations to ensure safety for nearly 200 commercial and freight trains. 

Free meals were provided in addition to refunds for 39,000 ticket holders, amounting to nearly VNĐ24 billion (US$910,000).

Although the North–South Railway resumed service on November 25 following eight days of disruption, many sections now require trains to operate at reduced speeds, significantly limiting transport capacity across the entire route.

Construction teams are working around the clock to restore the railway, which will only resume normal operations once all emergency sections have been fully repaired to meet safety standards.

According to the construction ministry’s update on November 26, total infrastructure damage to the railway network in the south-central region has reached VNĐ122 billion ($4.6 million), including VNĐ80 billion ($3 million) in structural damage alone. — VNS