Under a plan outlined in a March 2 letter from the ministry to the Hanoi People’s Committee, freight trains would stop running entirely on the section from Hanoi Station through Long Bien Station to Gia Lam Station, while passenger and tourist train frequencies would be reduced.

The section currently handles four pairs of daily passenger trains on the Hanoi-Hai Phong route, two pairs on the Hanoi-Lao Cai route and numerous freight services.

If fully implemented, the changes would mean no passenger trains passing through the narrow residential strip between Hanoi Station and Long Bien Station, the stretch that has become one of Vietnam’s most photographed tourist attractions.

Since 2018, cafes along the railway running through Le Duan, Kham Thien, Tran Phu and Phung Hung streets have drawn crowds of Vietnamese and foreign visitors.

Despite an official ban and fixed barriers at the entrance to Tran Phu Street, thousands of people still enter daily to watch trains squeeze past buildings with barely a meter of clearance. Vietnam Railways Corporation has repeatedly urged the city to crack down on the safety violations.

The plan originated with a January proposal from the Hanoi People’s Committee, which asked the ministry to reroute trains so that southbound services would terminate at Hanoi Station and northbound services at Gia Lam Station. The adjustment aims to preserve and promote the historical value of Long Bien Bridge and to develop a cultural and tourism space around the 131 stone arch vaults on the railway between Hanoi Station and Long Bien Station.

To make the changes work, Hanoi would build a passenger transfer hub at Gia Lam Station and organize free shuttle services between the two stations. The ministry would repair and upgrade the Bac Hong-Van Dien western ring railway to handle the diverted freight traffic, keeping the national rail network running smoothly.

Vietnam Railways Corporation would work with the city to build a freight yard and access road at Ha Dong Station and a transfer point near Gia Lam Station. The ministry has asked the city to complete all the work before July 2026.

An inter-agency task force has already been set up to review the legal framework and draft a comprehensive plan for transferring the railway infrastructure on the Hanoi-Gia Lam section to the city government’s control.