Yen Bai Station is located in Hong Ha Ward, Yen Bai City. This is a point on the Hanoi - Lao Cai railway line, connecting Van Phu Station with Co Phuc Station.
Before 2014, the Hanoi - Lao Cai railway was chosen by people to travel because National Highway 70 was narrow, winding, and had the potential for traffic accidents.
At that time, it was considered the "golden age" of this railway line because Yen Bai station had nearly 20 trips per day, always bustling with passengers coming in and out, getting on and off the train.
According to Lao Dong's report on December 24, the station has now invested more than before in terms of ventilation systems, infrastructure, etc., but operations are extremely gloomy as on weekdays there are only two passenger trains in the morning and afternoon.
Now the number of passengers coming to buy train tickets can be counted on the fingers, most of them come to the station to check in and receive goods. More than 90% of the trains passing through Yen Bai station currently serve to transport goods.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga (32 years old, ticket seller) said that currently, there are still no Tet train tickets for the route from Yen Bai to Hanoi and other provinces.
"Currently, ticket prices range around VND250,000, depending on the type of train and ticket class. However, after January 1, 2025, ticket prices may increase slightly," said Ms. Nga.
Ms. Nga added that although tickets from Yen Bai to Hanoi are still unsold, the return trip from Hanoi to Yen Bai is completely sold out. At the same time, people now prefer to book tickets online, so the deserted scene at the station is understandable.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan (62 years old, a tea seller opposite Yen Bai station) confided that she has been attached to this place for more than half of her life, witnessing both the golden age and the gloomy days of the station.
"More than a decade ago, the train station was always bustling with people coming and going, helping my tea shop earn millions of dong every day. But since the highway was built, the number of people choosing trains as a means of transportation has gradually decreased," said Ms. Xuan.
Speaking with Lao Dong, Yen Bai Station Chief Tran Duc Dong said that the number of passenger trains is not much at present, but the number of freight trains has increased significantly.
"According to statistics, there are currently about 18 freight trains passing through Yen Bai station every day," Mr. Dong informed.
According to the Railway Transport Joint Stock Company, in order to serve the travel needs of passengers during the Lunar New Year 2025, the railway industry has organized ticket sales since October 1, 2024.
By the end of November 2024, the total number of Tet train tickets sold was about 125,000, with ticket sales revenue of 189 billion VND.
The number of tickets purchased online accounts for 61% of the number of tickets sold. Comparing the speed of ticket sales (56 days of ticket sales), the number of tickets sold and revenue are both equal to 125% compared to ticket sales for Tet 2024.
