Consultant proposes relocating century-old rail car factory in Vietnam’s Binh Duong
Thursday, September 07, 2023, 18:22 GMT+7
A consulting consortium has proposed relocating the century-old Di An train car factory in the namesake city under Binh Duong Province, a neighbor of Ho Chi Minh City, to the site for the An Binh Railway Station in the same city as there is no rail route linking to the factory.
The consortium of Transport Engineering Design Joint Stock Incorporated South and the Consulting Center for Transport Development Investment has sent the proposal to the Vietnam Railway Authority.
As the Di An Station has been integrated into the An Binh Station, there is no rail route connected to the Di An train car factory.
The An Binh Station also has sufficient facilities, so the relocation of the factory to the station is reasonable.
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| The Di An train car factory, built in 1902, features French architecture. It was recognized as a historical-cultural relic site in Binh Duong Province, just outside Ho Chi Minh City, in 2013. |
The proposal has captured public attention although the consulting consortium has yet to seek comment from relevant ministries, agencies, and localities.
Railway expert Nguyen An said the French built the Di An train car factory, together with Gia Lam and Truong Thi train car workshops in Hanoi and north-central Nghe An Province, respectively, over one hundred years ago.
The Truong Thi train car factory has shut down while the Gia Lam factory is on the verge of closure.
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| An aerial view of the Di An train car factory at 8 Ly Thuong Kiet Street in Di An City, Binh Duong Province, southern Vietnam. |
An said adjusting rail routes will be easier and cost less than relocating a train car factory. Such a factory has typical characteristics in terms of location, equipment, routes, and laborers.
Local authorities should take caution in deciding on the relocation of the factory, the expert noted.
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| The Di An train car factory is responsible for repairing and building train cars as well as producing carriage accessories and other mechanical products. In 2016, Saigon Railway JSC suggested piloting a plan to build high-quality train cars at the factory. Dozens of train carriages built by Vietnamese engineers have been launched and Vietnam has no longer imported train carriages since then. |
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| A 121-year-old hall at the Di An train car factory in Binh Duong Province, a neighbor of Ho Chi Minh City. The factory, covering some 4,000 square meters of land, includes a hall, a workshop, and a warehouse. |
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| The proposal to relocate the Di An train car factory has captured the attention of the public and experts. |
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| The An Binh Station has been planned to cover some 200 hectares of land and include a railway station, an area for train maintenance and repair, a storage facility, an area for railway sector development, and an area set aside for the Di An train car factory. |
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| The Di An train car factory has received steam locomotives which have been left idle for nearly half a century for repair to serve tourism purposes. |
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