Immediately after receiving official information about workers having 4 days off for the 2026 New Year, the Railway industry and bus stations in Hanoi have urgently developed a plan to increase trains and vehicles to meet the forecasted increased travel demand.
Railway increases by about 20,000 seats
The Railway Transport Joint Stock Company said that during the 2026 New Year's transportation period, the unit will add about 20,000 seats by organizing more passenger trains in the section and connecting more carriages to the trains in operation.
The 2026 New Year's holiday lasts 4 days, from January 1 to January 4. During this time, in addition to regular daily trains such as the 4 pairs of Thong Nhat Bac - Nam trains (SE1/2, SE3/4, SE5/6, SE7/8), the pairs of trains Hanoi - Da Nang, Hanoi - Vinh, Hanoi - Lao Cai, Hanoi - Hai Phong, along with many other regional routes, the railway industry will increase trains during peak days.
The Ho Chi Minh City - Nha Trang route will run additional SNT6 trains on December 31, 2025 and SNT5 trains on January 4, 2026. The Ho Chi Minh City - Phan Thiet route will run additional SPT4 trains on January 1, 2026 and SPT3 trains on January 4, 2026.
The Hanoi - Hai Phong route will operate 8 more trains from January 1 to January 4, 2026, including LP9, LP10, HP3 and HP4. The Hanoi - Lao Cai route will operate 4 more trains, including SP1 and SP2 trains on December 31, 2025, January 1, January 2 and January 4, 2026. The total number of seats for trains is about 13,400.
In addition, the Railway Transport Joint Stock Company also added carriages to trains running regularly. In particular, the North-South Thong Nhat trains will have about 2,260 seats; the SE22/21 trains (HCMC - Da Nang) will have 840 more seats; the SNT2/1 trains (HCMC - Nha Trang) will have 896 more seats; the SPT2/1 trains (HCMC - Phan Thiet) will have 848 more seats.
The Hanoi - Vinh route has added cars to the NA1/NA2 train, providing about 1,000 more seats; the Hanoi - Hai Phong route has added cars to the Hoa Phuong Do train, adding about 1,000 more seats.
Thus, including additional trains and additional cars, during the 2026 New Year, the railway industry plans to add about 20,000 seats to serve passengers.
Increasing about 150 vehicles for stations
For road transport, Hanoi Bus Station Joint Stock Company stated that the 4-day New Year holiday, coinciding with the transition period from the old year to the new year, will increase people's travel demand, especially family visits, short-term travel and the need to return to Hanoi after the holiday.
The number of passengers is forecast to increase sharply in the afternoon and evening of December 31, 2025; morning, noon of January 1, 2026 and afternoon of January 4, 2026.
At Giap Bat Bus Station, the peak number of passengers on December 31 and January 1, 2026 is estimated at about 16,000 per day, an increase of 260% compared to normal days; the number of vehicles is expected to be about 780 per day. The increase in the number of visitors is mainly concentrated in short-distance routes such as Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh (old), Hung Yen, Thanh Hoa.
At Gia Lam Bus Station, the peak number of passengers is about 6,000/day, an increase of about 200% compared to normal days, with about 410 trips/day, concentrated on Hai Phong and Quang Ninh routes.
Meanwhile, at My Dinh Bus Station, the number of passengers on peak days is estimated at about 16,000 per day, an increase of more than 250% compared to normal days; the number of vehicles is expected to be over 800 per day. The number of passengers increased mainly on the routes of Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, Phu Tho, Yen Bai, Dien Bien, Son La, Lai Chau, Cao Bang.
Based on the actual situation, Hanoi Bus Station Joint Stock Company plans to increase about 150 inter-provincial passenger vehicles. Of which, Giap Bat Bus Station increased by 40 - 60 vehicles, Gia Lam Bus Station increased by about 20 - 30 vehicles and My Dinh Bus Station increased by 70 - 90 vehicles.
The leader of Hanoi Bus Station Joint Stock Company said that the increased number of vehicles will be flexibly allocated daily and for each route, ready to adjust according to actual passenger flows. At the same time, the unit has prepared a backup plan and signed contracts with vehicle rental units to promptly release passengers in case of sudden or congested traffic.
Member bus stations are required to proactively grasp traffic diversion information, organize flexible operations, and best serve the travel needs of people during the 2026 New Year holiday.
