Thap Cham-Dalat railway line to be restored

The Ministry of Transport has allowed a private company to conduct a pre-feasibility study for restoring the Thap Cham-Dalat Railway in a public-private partnership project.

The project was proposed by Bach Dang Hotel Trading-Service JSC and project proposal documents have to be submitted to the transport ministry by the end of this year, according to Lam Dong People's Commitee.

The original 84-kilometer railway line, passing through nine stations, five mountain tunnels, two large bridges and two high passes of Ngoan Muc and D'Ran, was completed in 1932 and ran until 1968. It connected Da Lat in the Central Highlands with Thap Cham in Phan Rang town, Ninh Thuan province in the south-central region.

The proposed restoration will rebuild a new line along the same route.

Currently, a 7-kilometer section of the line, between Da Lat Railway Station and Trai Mat, a travel destination on the outskirts of Da Lat town, is in use for tourism purposes. The renovated Da Lat railway station, one end of the route, is now a prominent tourist attraction.

Restoration of the French-built railway line was approved in 2007, and it was initially scheduled to be completed by 2015, but the project has remained in limbo since.

Once restored, the railway line will increase the number of distinctive tourism goods available in the Khanh Hoa-Phan Rang-Da Lat tourist triangle.

Da Lat is considered most charming town in the Central Highlands. Once called Vietnam's ‘Little Paris,’ the town has become a popular place to escape the tropical heat in the plains. Some of the must-see attractions of the town, according to TripAdvisor, are Xuan Huong Lake, Dalat Flower Park, Datanla Falls and the Thien Vien Truc Lam religious complex.

The Po Klong Garai or Thap Cham is located in Ninh Thuan, dating back to the 13th century. The 1979 national heritage along with Po Rome and Hoa Lai are three most famous Cham towers of the south-central province.

The Po Klong Garai tower complex is not only a spiritual and cultural space of people but also a valuable heritage, in which intact imprints of the history, architecture and sculpture art of the Cham ethnic minority people remain.

Ninh Thuan is also home to a string of well-known tourist destinations such as the national monument of scenic beauty Vinh Hy Bay, the 10-kilometer Ninh Chu beach, the pristine sand hill Nam Cuong, and Nui Chua National Park, a World Biosphere Reserve recognized by UNESCO in April this year.