Nghe An people flock to leave their hometown after Tet holiday

Trains, airports have a surge in people

After the 7-day Tet holiday, Nghe An people gathered at train stations, airports, and bus stations to return to school and work. The number of passengers at these locations increased 3-4 times compared to normal days.

At Vinh station, on the 4th and 5th day of Tet, people were bustling back to wait for the train. Passengers usually arrive 1-2 hours in advance to prepare and avoid missing the train. Most of them boarded the train for Vinh - Hanoi, Vinh - Saigon...

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, Hung Nguyen district shared: After Tet, I returned to Ho Chi Minh City to take care of my grandchildren so my children could go to work. Luckily, I booked a round-trip ticket before Tet. If I had booked a ticket now, there would probably be no more or I would have to sit in the extra seat because the Vinh - Saigon flight is always the most crowded.

Statistics from Vinh Railway Transport Station show that on February 14, the 5th day of Tet, there were about 5,000 passengers getting on and off Vinh station, about 5 times more than usual. Most of them were passengers leaving their hometowns to return to work and study. Vietnam Railways has added more trains to serve people's travel needs.

Mr. Cao Ngoc Tuan - Head of Vinh Railway Transport Station said: After Tet is always the time when the number of passengers increases dramatically and every year we have a plan to serve the needs of passengers during this peak period. Currently, most customers have used online ticket purchases, not buying tickets directly as much as before, so the congestion and chaos at the ticket counters has been significantly reduced. In addition, all officers and employees have been reinforced to support people from now until the end of the 15th day of the first lunar month, because this is the time when the number of passengers increases the most in the year.

At bus stations, the number of passengers also increased 2-3 times compared to normal days.

At Yen Thanh District Bus Station on the afternoon of the 5th day of Tet, there were quite a few passengers going to Da Nang, Hanoi, etc. People all came early to arrange their luggage.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Hoan - Head of Yen Thanh District Bus Station said: Yen Thanh District has 75 sleeper buses running on routes to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hue... Right from the 3rd day of Tet, passengers have come to the bus station to travel to provinces and cities. The buses basically meet the travel needs of the people, the buses arrive at the destination and immediately turn around to pick up the new passengers.

At Bac Vinh Bus Station, nearly 200 registered vehicles have started picking up passengers since the second day of Tet, with some vehicles running throughout Tet to serve the people. The routes with the highest number of passengers include Vinh - Hanoi, Vinh - Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh - Da Nang.... The vehicles are basically fully booked on the fourth and fifth days of Tet. Most passengers have to contact the bus companies to book tickets a few days in advance so that they can make arrangements.

Not only at the train station and bus station, but also at the airport, the number of passengers increased. At Vinh airport, on the 5th day of Tet, there were 44 flights, the number of passengers was about 9,500, an increase of more than 3,000 passengers compared to normal days.

Mr. Nghiem Manh Tuan - Director of Vinh International Airport said: The routes with the most bookings include Vinh - Noi Bai and Vinh - Tan Son Nhat. To better serve the travel needs of passengers after Tet, the airport has arranged and increased human resources and vehicles, ensuring security, safety and order on flights. Fortunately, the fog has basically ended at this time, so there are no more delays like before Tet.

Not only inter-provincial passenger transport but also other intra-provincial means of transport such as buses, taxis, motorbike taxis... also saw a significant increase in the number of passengers on the last day of Tet holiday. For example, National Highway 1A towards Vinh City on the afternoon of the 5th day of Tet was congested for a long stretch from Quan Hanh town to Nghi Kim commune. Bus pick-up points returning to Vinh City on the 5th day of Tet were always overloaded.

Ensure adequate means of serving the people

In order to proactively handle transportation work and serve the travel needs of people after the Lunar New Year of Giap Thin 2024 smoothly, bus stations and train stations in the province have prepared plans. Mr. Tran Minh Thanh - General Director of Nghe An Bus Station Joint Stock Company said: After Tet, the unit has an average of about 220 trips/day (an increase of 20-30%), to meet the needs of passengers, the company has increased and prepared more than 20 more passenger cars in case of a sudden increase in passengers.

The company has directed transport units to coordinate with authorities to strengthen inspection and remind bus companies and vehicles to operate in accordance with necessary regulations, and passengers coming to buy tickets will have their ticket prices clearly listed.

Mr. Cao Ngoc Tuan - Head of Vinh Railway Transport Station said: For the Railway industry, to facilitate the work of serving people traveling during Tet, the Railway industry accepts registration to buy group tickets for the Giap Thin Tet holiday (priority is given to units of the people's armed forces, universities, colleges, industrial parks, export processing zones, and social organizations).

In addition, Vietnam Railways organizes 12 pairs of Thong Nhat trains from Saigon, Vinh, Hanoi and vice versa, and regularly organizes the local train pair NA1/2 (Hanoi to Vinh and vice versa). In addition to the above train pairs, the Railway sector also organizes additional local train pairs to transport people from Hanoi and the northern provinces to Vinh and vice versa.

The Department of Transport has requested that organizations and individuals operating transport businesses must arrange a sufficient number of vehicles for operation according to the registered schedule, coordinate with bus stations and train stations to develop plans to mobilize additional vehicles to support passengers. The Transport sector also coordinates with the Traffic Police force to ensure security, order, and traffic safety to reduce congestion after Tet.

To stabilize ticket prices during Tet, the authorities have also requested transport businesses to list the correct registered fares and not arbitrarily increase fares during Tet. In case of a need to increase fares, businesses must develop a suitable plan, in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Finance, to submit to the Department of Transport for consideration.

To meet the travel needs of passengers during the Lunar New Year, it is estimated that the whole province will mobilize nearly 19,000 vehicles to serve nearly 460,000 people. Nghe An Department of Transport has a plan to increase vehicles for 5 routes including: Nghe An - Hanoi, Nghe An - Hai Phong, Nghe An - Da Nang, Nghe An - Hue, Nghe An - Ho Chi Minh City.

According to the report of the Department of Transport: Nghe An has 323 transport business units, with a total of 7,435 vehicles; of which, 44 are passenger transport units; 258 are freight transport units; 21 are mixed passenger and freight transport units. The whole province has 18 bus stations that have been put into operation and use.