Train travelling between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City resumed to normal operation at first light on Saturday, as repairs to a collapsed railway bridge that plays a crucial role in north-to-south railway system were completed.

The reconstruction of Ghenh Bridge, connecting southern provinces and cities, including Ho Chi Minh City, to the remaining parts of the country, reached one day earlier than planned, following the collapse over a barge collision on March 20.

After three hours being tested for consolidation, the newly constructed structure welcomed the first north-south train coded TN1 at 3:50 am on Saturday.

Many train routes will also return to normal operation today, June 26, after disruption caused by the bridge collapse, according to Vietnam Railways (VNR), the state-run operator of the Hanoi-Saigon railway.

The collapse of Ghenh Bridge has temporarily immobilized all trains running to and fro southern provinces starting from Dong Nai downwards.

Despite traffic is resumed for train, other categories of the construction package, including sidewalks for pedestrian are still in restoration stage and are planned to be inaugurated on July 2, according to the bridge’s repairing units.

Ten pairs of passenger trains start come back into service today, five of which are due to shuttle between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, including SE1-SE2, SE3-SE4, SE5-SE6, SE7-SE8, TN1-TN2, according to VNR.

The other five are slated to travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh (Nghe An), Quang Ngai (Quang Ngai), Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), and Phan Thiet (Binh Thuan), the railway agency said.

The railway firm also offers five pairs of freight trains travelling from Song Than (Binh Duong) to Giap Bat (Hanoi) and Yen Vien (Hanoi), and vice versa.

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