Reunification Express

[velotrain]

Tonight I watched a good episode about the Vietnam Railway system on the PBS show Globe Trekker, and I would recommend it if scheduled in your area (of the U.S.).  It was apparently shot in 2001, and released the following year, but seems to be new to Globe Trekker.  I have to say that I liked the traveler - Zay Harding, much more than their usual ones - he seemed a lot more real for my tastes.  It is apparently part of a new "series", with a general title of "Tough Trains" - an episode on Siberia is scheduled for May 17.

 

http://tinyurl.com/pn4q6rv

 

They started at the border with China, noting that the original French line was meter gauge, but that made it difficult to bring in military supplies from China, so an additional SG rail was laid.  Most of the lines I saw were double gauge, but I doubt there is still any meter gauge stock running on it.  I don't know why the extra rails are left in.

 

The program claimed that no radios (no mention of telephones) were used, and showed a train exchanging tokens at a station.  One thing I've never understood about that system is how they handle things when there are successive trains in the same direction - how does the token get back to the other end of that section for the next train?

 

Shortly south of the border, he takes a non-rail side trip to a steel mill.  There are still a few steam engines there, and the script says they're only in use when the plant is very busy - which I gather is not very often, as they looked like they hadn't run for a while, and mentioned they're three times more expensive to operate than the diesels.

 

Hanoi must be similar to Japan in some respects, as no real estate is wasted.  The doors of houses are often less than a meter from the track in some neighborhoods, and there's even a fellow who offers walking tours along the tracks for tourists.  They did mention that Vietnam has the highest number of rail-related deaths per capita in the world, and that only a small fraction of the road crossings are legal.

 

He's told that there are only standing room tickets from Hanoi to Hue, but even though he finds a seat during the night, claims he has no sleep during the 15 hour journey.  It doesn't help that he appears to be a tall guy, trying to be comfortable fitting his torso down the length of a rather short seat. 

 

One interesting piece of history was discussion of the "ghost bridges" employed during the war, when the U.S. bombed out all of the permanent railway bridges.  Tracks were built down to the water on both sides of a river, and during the night barges were brought in to ferry the railcars across.  They were moved away again before dawn, so there was no sign of bridges for recon flights the next day.  Trains would wait in the safety of tunnels during bombing raids.

 

There is some work being done to slowly improve the single track line that connects the spine of the country.  At one point he visits a project to reinforce the lining of a tunnel, which at this stage consists of fastening rebar "mesh" to the existing tunnel walls.  He dons a hardhat and experiences the joy of hammering into the old wall, with the loosened material falling into his mouth.

 

He got a sleeper berth for another 15-hour leg to Ho Chi Minh City, but again very little sleep. 

This is a good mix of travel, train shots, and history.