Temporary repairs planned after barge collision damages railway bridge in southern Vietnam

Saigon Railway Joint Stock Company said on Saturday afternoon that inspections conducted with relevant agencies confirmed that the collision significantly damaged the bridge’s central span.

The structure will ultimately need to be replaced to guarantee safe train operations over time.

Two solutions have been put forward to proceed simultaneously.

The first involves reinforcing and temporarily repairing the damaged span to quickly reopen the north-south railway line through the bridge area.

The emergency repairs will take about 15 to 20 days before trains can resume operations.

At the same time, a new bridge span will be manufactured to replace the damaged one.

Casting the new steel span is expected to take around two months.

Once completed, railway engineers will install the new structure and remove the damaged span.

Both proposals are currently being submitted for approval.

Built in 2016 to replace an older bridge that collapsed after a similar accident, the Ghenh railway bridge measures 239.2 meters with three steel spans, each 76.2 meters long.

According to Vietnam Railways, the collision occurred at 10:17 am on Friday, deforming the steel beams and track on span number two of the bridge, which carries trains on the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City line.

The barge became stuck under the bridge, blocking traffic.

One motorcyclist crossing the bridge sustained minor injuries.

Following the incident, the Ministry of Construction instructed railway authorities and related agencies to assess the load-bearing capacity of the bridge span and propose measures to ensure operational safety.

Based on the assessment results, authorities will submit repair plans for approval and determine appropriate funding sources.

Railway operators have also been directed to maintain round-the-clock monitoring at the bridge and conduct regular inspections to track technical conditions and ensure safety.

Meanwhile, the ministry asked the Dong Nai People’s Committee to coordinate with local authorities to determine the extent of the damage and identify the cause of the accident, with strict penalties for any violations.

Thousands of passengers transferred by road

As the bridge is out of service, railway authorities have been forced to transport passengers by road between Bien Hoa Railway Station and Di An Railway Station, a distance of roughly nine kilometers.

On Friday, passenger trains including SE4, SE2, and SNT2 departing from Saigon Station stopped at Di An Station, where passengers were transferred by bus to Bien Hoa to continue their journeys.

Meanwhile, trains such as SE7, SE5, SPT1, and SE11 arriving from northern provinces stopped at Bien Hoa Station, with passengers transported by road to Di An Station before resuming travel by rail.

Some 1,500 passengers were transferred on the first day of the disruption alone.

Thousands more passengers were moved between the two stations on Saturday as railway services remained interrupted.

Freight trains have also been affected.

Cargo services from Yen Vien and Giap Bat Railway Stations in Hanoi have been operating only as far as stations such as Trang Bom and Ho Nai Railway Stations in Dong Nai Province, where cargo is unloaded.