Da Lat- Thap Cham railway’s restoration to be completed by 2030

The Central Highlands province of Lam Dong has targeted to complete the restoration of the Da Lat –Thap Cham railway and put it into operation by 2030.

This is part of the province’s newly-approved railway development plan until 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Early this year, the Bach Dang Hotel Service – Trading Joint Stock Company submitted to the Ministry of Transport a draft pre-feasibility study report of the project to restore the Thap Cham – Da Lat railway line under the contract of Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

According to the report, the Thap Cham – Da Lat railway route runs through Phan Rang City in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan to Da Lat City. The 83-km railway line will have 16 stations. The project is expected to be carried out from January 2025 to June 2029.

The project has two components, including the restoration of the 76-km line from Thap Cham Station in Ninh Thuan to Trai Mat Station in Da Lat with bridges, tunnels, and stations to be restored or built. The second component is to upgrade the section from Trai Mat Station to Da Lat Station which is currently being exploited.

According to the pre-feasibility report, the total preliminary investment is about VND28.98 trillion (US$1.21 billion), including VND2.16 trillion from State’s budget.

The railway between Da Lat and Thap Cham is one of the rare serrated railways in the world, which is referred to as the legendary railway of Asia. Built in 24 years from 1908 to 1932, with its length of 84km, the railway once played an important part in the economic development of Da Lat, especially in tourism.

Before 1975, the route was totally damaged due to war in Vietnam, and most the rails, locomotives and train carriages were dismantled and used for other purposes.

In 1991, a 7-km section of the route was restored to serve tourism by the tourism sector in coordination with the Vietnam Railway. The service, running from Da Lat to Trai Mat, attracts hundreds of visitors each day.

Vietnam News Agency – August 20, 2023