Attending were Vice Chairman of the Provincial
People's Committee (PPC) Nguyen Van Danh; leader representatives of provincial
departments, committees and branches, Viet Nam Railway Corporation; and transport
and logistics enterprises in the province.
Expand
methods of transporting export and import goods
According to the Binh Duong Customs Department, Song
Than Station is an international intermodal railway station (located in Di An
City) and the largest freight station in the South, as well as a technical
station, with 13 loading and unloading tracks and 7 cargo yards with a 1,726
kilometers long North - South railway line, single road of 1,000 millimeters
gauge, running on the North - South axis, which is a great traffic advantage of
the province.
However, up to now, Song Than Station only
serves domestic freight transportation, has not participated in export or
import activities, and has not promoted the potential of export and import
freight transportation. Currently, the main
transport route is from Song Than Station to Yen Vien and Giap Bat stations (Ha
Noi) then transfer to international intermodal trains to China and transit
through third countries (Russia, Mongolia, Central Asia and Europe) through Dong
Dang border gate (Lang Son province) and Lao Cai border gate (Lao Cai
province). Song Than Station's current capacity accommodates 1.6
million tons of goods/year. The goods transported are mainly consumer goods,
textiles, electronics, cars - motorbikes and agricultural products and food.
Therefore, improving the capacity of Song Than
Station to serve international intermodal freight transport is important in the
economic development of Binh Duong province in general and efforts to promote
export and import activities via railway in particular.
Overview of the conference
Speaking at the conference, Vice Chairman of
Binh Duong PPC Nguyen Van Danh said that in the future, Binh Duong plans for
Song Than international intermodal station to become a large-scale logistics
center of the Southern region, openning up new methods of transporting export
and import goods that are more efficient, safer, and cost-effective, with easy
access to China's industrial, commodity and auxiliary material production
centers such as Guangzhou and Kunming, etc. With a favorable geographical
location, Song Than Station can fully serve as a gathering and distributing
place for imported and exported goods to the Northern and Southern border
gates, not only of enterprises in Binh Duong province but also enterprises in
the Southeast and Southwest regions, creating conditions for the formation of
logistics centers of the province and the entire Southern region, increasing
the supply of accompanying services, creating jobs for
workers, increasing provincial budget revenue, and increasing economic growth,
contributing to achieving the goal of economic restructuring according to the
Resolution of the 11th Binh Duong Provincial Party Congress, 2020-2025
tenure.
Vice Chairman of Binh Duong PPC Nguyen Van Danh speaks at
the conference
Also according to the leaders of Viet Nam
Railway Corporation, the Ministry of Transport has been implementing projects
to upgrade and renovate Song Than Station. It is expected that in the 2025-2030
period, after completing these projects, Song Than Station's capacity will
reach 3.5 million tons/year and become the largest freight station in the
system of Viet Nam's railway stations.
After the infrastructure for international
transportation activities is fully invested, Viet Nam Railways Corporation will
organize daily train runs and provide a full range of services to serve the
import and export of goods for customers in Binh Duong province and neighboring
provinces.
Enterprises
expect new transportation methods
Discussing issues related to import and export
of goods by rail, enterprises are interested in the costs and advantages of
this method compared to traditional methods.
Mr. Nguyen Quang Sang - Director of Southern
Trade & Services Cargo Company Limited expressed his joy when Binh Duong
launched an additional method of transporting goods through Song Than
international intermodal station; at the same time,
said that currently, the majority of enterprises are choosing to transport
goods by road and river. He hoped this new
transportation method will have outstanding advantages, especially in terms of
transportation costs.
Sharing the same opinion as above, Ms. Truong
Thi Thuy Lien - Vice President of Binh Duong Leather and Footwear Association
also wanted to receive more information about rail transport, compare the
advantages of this method in terms of cost and convenience in goods
circulation.
Enterprises discuss at the conference
Responding to enterprise concerns,
representatives of transportation companies responded specifically. According to Mr. Do Dinh Duoc - Deputy General Director of
Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company, the construction of
transportation costs must be based on the actual situation of each enterprise
and their requirements. Connection with other
transportation methods to create the most favorable conditions for customers is
also implemented by the company.
Mr. Nguyen Tran Hieu - Director of Binh Duong Customs
Department speaks at the conference
Mr. Nguyen Tran Hieu - Director of Binh Duong
Customs Department said that currently, enterprises are facing difficulties
with orders due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, enterprises are also affected by the global
economic recession related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, causing raw fuel
costs to increase, affecting the competitiveness of most enterprises. Therefore, in the context of common difficulties, directing
enterprises to expand transportation methods by rail will help reduce transportation
costs and shorten goods delivery time. In addition, the transported goods are
guaranteed to be safe, not subject to impact or damage, and ensure that the
goods are transported on schedule without being delayed like other modes of
transportation such as sea, road, and air. Another important benefit is that export goods transported
by rail will be transported directly across the border, without congestion at
the border gate like when transported by road during the past time. Especially for goods that are agricultural products, have a
short storage time, and need fast transportation time to promptly deliver goods
to Chinese customers through the Northern border gates, the use of rail freight
services is the most optimal solution to help reduce costs and at the same time
increase profits for enterprises. Thereby, helping to
improve the competitiveness as well as the reputation and position of the
enterprise with foreign partners.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Toan - Director of the
Department of Industry and Trade added that currently, logistics costs in Viet
Nam are higher than other countries in Southeast Asia. Therefore, the Prime
Minister has directed relevant ministries and branches to implement plans to
reduce transportation costs to increase Viet Nam's competitiveness for export
and import. Binh Duong is considered the logistics center of the South,
so expanding the method of transporting goods through Song Than international
intermodal station will open up a new opportunity for export and import
activities of enterprises. The Department of
Industry and Trade will coordinate with Viet Nam Railway Corporation to fully
inform enterprises about this method to increase their export competitiveness. Besides, Mr. Toan also informed about the conveniences in
the coming time when upgrading Song Than Station to meet the freight transport
needs of enterprises.