The closure of Lương Yên Bus Station on Hà Nội’s Nguyễn Khoái Street is expected to ease traffic congestion in nearby areas and offer chances for coach operators to use better facilities, transport experts said.— Photo vietnamnet.vn

HÀ NỘI – The closure of Lương Yên Bus Station on Hà Nội’s Nguyễn Khoái Street is expected to ease traffic congestion in nearby areas and offer chances for coach operators to use better facilities, transport experts said.

Chairman of the Hà Nội Transport Association Bùi Danh Liên said that the Lương Yên Station was under high pressure from overcrowding and deterioration.

The station, located on a site of about 5,500sq.m, currently handles 335 coaches daily, while Nước Ngầm Station, with an area of almost 18,000sq.m, handles 224 coaches daily. Yên Nghĩa Station, located on an area of 69,800sq.m, handles 600 coaches daily.

The station has been in operation since 2004 as a temporary bus station to make use of 10,200sq.m of land managed by the Lương Yên Food Company under Vinafood Corporation. In 2010, the area of the station was cut in half so that the corporation could develop a real estate project.

The station was once proposed to close in 2013, which faced protests from local transport firms. It was then allowed to open until July 26, 2016.

For years, the station was hardly upgraded. It fails to meet national criteria for a bus station, including green space, healthcare facilities and facilities accessible to people with disabilities.

Under the city’s transport development plan until 2030, approved by the Prime Minister in March, the Lương Yên Station is not on the list of stations to be upgraded, while the stations of Mỹ Đình, Nước Ngầm, Giáp Bát and Gia Lâm are on the list.

Vice General Director of the Hà Nội Transportation Service Joint Stock Company (Transerco) Nguyễn Huy Quang said that few buses of the company - only those running on three routes – went through the Lương Yên Station.

Moreover, parking for taxis and other vehicles remained limited there, with modest connections between long-distance coaches and public transportation modes in the city, he said.

Vice Director of the Hà Nội Transport Department Nguyễn Hoàng Linh said that two options were submitted to the municipal People’s Committee to reorganise routes to other bus stations instead of Lương Yên Station.

According to the first option, inter-provincial coaches would reach other stations across the city when Lương Yên Station is closed, he said, adding that the option immediately helped ease traffic congestion, but possibly left impacts on transport firms because of changed routes and schemes.

According to the second option, the coaches would use Cổ Bi Station in Gia Lâm District instead of Lương Yên, but the deadline for Lương Yên Station’s closure must be extended until construction of Cổ Bi Station was completed, Linh said.

Quang from Transerco said that when coaches used Cổ Bi Station, traffic at the northeastern part of the city would be relieved.

“From Cổ Bi Station, it’s convenient for coaches to travel to provinces like Hải Phòng, Hải Dương, Quảng Ninh, Bắc Giang and Lạng Sơn,” he said.

Liên from the transport association suggested that the city should build an alternative bus station around Thanh Trì Bridge because the area links National Highway No 5 and other expressways. -- VNS