New Ghenh Bridge to open to traffic from June 26
The new Ghenh Bridge across the Dong Nai River in the southern province of Dong Nai will open to traffic at midnight on June 26, said Do Quang Van, branch director of Saigon Railway Transport Company, on June 13.
 |
The new bridge is built to replace the old one which collapsed at noon on March 20 after a barge crashed into its pillar, causing disruption to north-south train services.
All trains from Saigon Station in Ho Chi Minh City will depart one hour later than the departure time on tickets between June 26 and 30 as no bus transfer is required, Van added.
The old Ghenh Bridge was built more than 100 years ago and used by both trains and vehicles. The construction of the new bridge began on April 1 at an estimated cost of US$13 million.
Reports by Vietnam Railways (VNR) Corporation show that the accident greatly affected its performance during the first five months of 2016.
More than 448,000 tonnes of goods were transported by train during the period, roughly equivalent to 72.6% of last year’s figure, while the corporation served 781,600 passengers, a decline of 17.4% year on year.
Its revenue also plunged 34% compared to the same period last year to VND260.3 billion (US$11.66 million).
