HCMC braces for bigger travel demand during holiday

Coach and train stations in Ho Chi Minh City are adding more services in expectation of soaring demands during the forthcoming Independence Day which will fall on the weekend.
Thuong Thanh Hai, deputy director of Mien Dong Coach Station, said there would be a long Independence Day holiday this year, so the number of buses for the two peak days, September 1 and 2, would increase by 3 percent compared last year’s holiday and by 31 percent compared to normal days.
There will be around 1,500 coaches serving an estimated 34,000 passengers on September 1 alone, and about 100 other vehicles will be on standby, Hai said.
Hai said the most crowded routes would be those leading to Khanh Hoa Province that is known for the seaside resort town of Nha Trang, and other tourist attractions like Buon Ma Thuot, Vung Tau, Dalat, Nha Trang, Phan Rang and Phan Thiet.
Mien Dong Coach Station has asked the city’s transport authority for permission to impose a 30 percent surcharge on fares to offset the fuel costs for those vehicles returning to the city without passengers during the peak travel period.
Meanwhile, the number of passengers at Mien Tay Coach Station is forecast to go up 5-10 percent from last year’s holiday. Director Pham Van Thong of the station said 30,000-32,000 people would use transport services at the station on each of September 1 and 2 and the most popular destinations would be Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Can Tho and Dong Thap.
As for the Saigon Railway Station, Nguyen Van Thanh, deputy director of the station, predicted a 30 percent increase in passenger numbers. Therefore, the station will add more trains on HCMC-Nha Trang and HCMC-Quy Nhon routes.
Especially, three more trains will be put into service on HCMC-Nha Trang run and one more for Saigon-Quy Nhon service.
The HCMC public transport control center will add 1,125 commuter bus trips for the 16 routes passing through the coach stations and amusement parks from September 2 to 4.
The city’s Department of Transport has requested contractors to suspend their road excavation before and during the holiday.
Some large-scale projects for water plumbing and drainage can keep their fencings in place but must clean up the surroundings before September 1.
These projects include the urban upgrade project for Tan Hoa-Lo Guy Canal, the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe basin environmental rehabilitation project, and the Thu Duc-Binh Thai water pipeline project.