Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese railway sector is taking measures toincrease the volume of freight transport as it did not meet the set target inthe first half of 2019, according to insiders.
Chairman of the HanoiRailway Transport Joint Stock Company (HARACO) Do Van Hoan said that the volumeof rail freight transport is declining significantly.
During January-June,the company loaded over 1.9 million tonnes of goods, and unloaded over 1.8million tonnes of goods, equal to only 87 percent and 88 percent of those ofthe same period last year. This resulted in a decrease in the company’sturnover from both cargo loading and unloading, just equivalent to 92.9 percentof that of the same period last year.
General Director ofthe Sai Gon Railway Transport JSC Dao Anh Tuan stated that his company fellinto the same situation. In the first six months of 2019, the companytransported over 438,000 tonnes and unloaded 394,000 tonnes of goods, equal to92.1 percent and 87.4 percent of those of the same period last year. Itstakings from these works were equal to 96.9 percent of that of the same periodof 2018.
Hoan attributed thedecreases to business difficulties of his company’s major partners, anddeclines in farm produce exports to China from the northern and southernregions.
To reverse thesituation in the remaining months of 2019, he said that on July 31, his companywill launch an express freight transport train from Hanoi’s Yen Vien station toSong Than station in the southern province of Binh Duong, with the frequency offive pairs of trains a week.
The official addedthat the railway sector will continue reducing transport costs to attract moretrade partners.-VNA