Abandoned railway line
(Baonghean) - The Cau Giat - Nghia Dan railway line was once considered one of the important transport routes in promoting economic and cultural development in the Northwestern region of Nghe An, but for many years now, there has not been a single train running on this line. Although it has been out of use for a long time, every year the State has to spend nearly ten billion VND to maintain, repair and pay salaries to dozens of officials and workers on this line...
Having worked in the railway industry since 1996, Ms. Ho Thi Hoa has been assigned to work at Station No. 5, km 25 + 856 in Thai Hoa town. This is the station near the end of the Cau Giat - Nghia Dan railway line. For many years, besides the logbook of passing trains, Ms. Hoa's main job is to write down the date, time and the words "No train". Following us along the station on the line, many sections of grass have grown to cover the entire rail track, and trees on both sides gradually obscure the path.
The Cau Giat - Nghia Dan railway line is over 30km long, connecting the Northwest of our province with the North - South railway. The line starts at Cau Giat Town - Quynh Luu District and ends at Nghia Dan District. The entire line has 3 stations divided into 4 sections. Previously, this railway line was one of the main arteries used to transport people and goods from the mountainous districts of the province to the whole country and vice versa. However, according to statistics of Nghe - Tinh Railway Transport Company, in the past 10 years, passenger trains have stopped running on this line, and freight trains have also stopped for nearly 5 years. At many points, people and even gatekeepers have begun to forget the presence of trains. However, to avoid the phenomenon of people encroaching on the railway corridor, it is still necessary to maintain a team of workers with an average salary of 3 million VND/person/month and maintenance costs, each year from the State Budget, must also spend nearly 8.5 billion VND.
Currently, while the Transport sector is tightening the load issue, innovation and finding solutions to restore the operation of this railway line is something that the authorities in general and the Railway Management sector in particular need to think about. This can also be considered as one of the solutions to minimize the degradation of the mountain road traffic routes due to oversized and overloaded vehicles "plowing". Public opinion is looking forward to the revival of a route that has been neglected and wasted for a long time.
Bui Tho
Nghe An Radio and Television Station
