CPC Party Committee and Government of Guangxi Zhuang Nationality%26rsquo;s Autonomous Region held the launching ceremony at the Nanning Railway Station.
The train accommodates 6 soft sleeper compartments, 1 hard sleeper compartments, 1 dining compartment, totally 8 compartments, capable of carrying 249 people, also adjustable for frequency and the number of train carriages according to passenger flow. In addition, the international train is staffed with 132 train attendants with well-knit expertise.
It is learned that the mileage from Nanning to Hanoi is 401 km, and the train runs every day, with one-way travel time of about 13 hours. It starts from Nanning at 18:15 and reaches Hanoi (Ka Lam) at 7:00 of the 2nd day; and starts from Hanoi (Ka Lam) at 20:30 and reaches Nanning at 10:05 of the 2nd day. Nanning- Hanoi international train line will meet the increasing demand for passenger traffics. At present, as for railway passenger transport from Nanning to Vietnam, the only line is T5 Beijing West Station- Nanning which extends into Hanoi, with only two temporary trains per week.
Nanning - Hanoi (Ka Lam) international train is fully air-conditioned, equipped with only sleeper compartments, with ticket fare of CNY 181 for hard sleeper compartments, CNY 290 for sleeper compartment. For the passengers taking this direct line to Hanoi, only passports and exit formalities are required for the purchase of tickets. In Guilin, Nanning and Pingxiang, the railway sector has set up special international ticket offices, making the ticket-purchase procedures very convenient.
It is learned that, in order to meet the developmental requirements of the construction of Sino- ASEAN Free Trade Area in 2010, China and ASEAN has made a strategic plan on transport cooperation, to form %26quot;Four Vertical and Two Horizontal%26quot; major international transportation channels between China and ASEAN countries. The launch of Nanning- Hanoi international passenger train will greatly speed up transformation of the Nanning, Guangxi- Hanoi, Vietnam railway into a great channel connecting ASEAN and linking the Pan Asia, and a main artery of the economy of China- ASEAN Free Trade Area. At the same time, it is also bound to promote the development and opening up of Beibu Gulf Economic Zone in Guangxi, and further enhance the competitiveness of Guangxi in the regional development.
The launch of Nanning- Hanoi international passenger train will positively push the cooperation in tourism between China and Vietnam and the ASEAN countries.