Saigon station
{{Short description|Railway station in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam}}
{{about|the station of North–South railway used to be named as Hòa Hưng|the station of HCMC Metro|Hòa Hưng station}}
{{Infobox station
| name = Saigon station
| native_name = Ga Sài Gòn
| native_name_lang = vie
| other_name = Hòa Hưng station (Pre-1983)
| symbol_location =
| symbol =
| type =
| image = File:Ga Sài Gòn.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| address = 1 Nguyen Thong Street, Ward 9
| borough = District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
| country = Vietnam
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 16
| coordinates =
| owned =
| operator = Vietnam Railways
| line = North-South Railway
| distance =
| platforms = 3
| tracks = 6
| train_operators =
| connections = Taxis, buses, HCMC Metro Line 2 HCMC Metro Line 8 HCMC Metro Line 9 Hòa Hưng station (only Line 2 is under construction, the others are proposed)
| structure = Ground
| parking = Yes
| bicycle = Yes
| accessible =
| code =
| zone =
| website =
| opened = {{Start date|1885|df=y}}
| closed =
| passengers =
| pass_year =
| pass_rank =
| services = {{Adjacent stations|system=Vietnam Railways
|line=North-South|left=Gò Vấp|right=
}}
}}
Saigon station (previously Hòa Hưng station) is a railway station in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The station is a major hub in the national railway network. Located about 1 km from the city center, Saigon railway station is the final station on the North–South railway, and the southernmost point of the Vietnamese railways.:vi:Ga Sài Gòn{{Circular reference|date=August 2020}} The name of the station has remained the same despite the name of the city of Saigon being changed after the Vietnam War to Ho Chi Minh City (to honor the revolutionary leader who had declared independence back in 1945).
History
File:Saigon Railway Bureau.jpg Station, now is the Vietnam Railways main booking office of HCMC.]]
The first Saigon station, which opened in 1885 as part of the Saigon–Mỹ Tho Railway, was located near the Quách Thị Trang Square in District 1. In 1904, Hanoi-Nha Trang Railway was opened but the first Saigon station was too small, so the colonial authorities decided to move the station. The second Saigon station was located at the southwest of the Bến Thành Market and constructed in 1915, now is the September 23 Park with Lê Lai Street and Phạm Ngũ Lão Street run along. The third and current Saigon station was opened in 1983 at Hòa Hưng, District 3.[https://www.historicvietnam.com/saigon-railway-station/ The Changing Faces of Sai Gon Railway Station, 1885-1983]
Every year, one or two months before Tết, thousands of people queue all day at the station to buy tickets home, because it is the main booking office of Vietnam Railways. Though electronic booking machines have been adopted, the queues continue, due to the monopoly of the railway.
The head office is in 136 Hàm Nghi Boulevard, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
Binh Trieu station
Due to the requirements of urban planning, the city government is considering the relocation of the station to the city outskirts at Binh Trieu (Binh Trieu Railway Station).{{Cite web |url=http://saigoneer.com/saigon-infrastructure/6532-the-changing-faces-of-sai-gon-railway-station,-1885-1983 |title=The Changing Faces of Saigon Railway Station – Future |date=14 March 2016}}{{cite journal| journal=International Railway Journal| volume=42| page=32| year=2002| quote="An 11km elevated line would run from Hoa Hung to Binh Trieu. This would parallel the existing railway and would be the first stage of a double-track elevated express line to Bien Hoa, a further 29km northeast of the city centre."| title=The Binh Trieu station}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{commons category-inline|Saigon Station}}
- [https://dsvn.vn/ Saigon Railways Official Website]
{{North-South railway}}
{{coord|10.7822|N|106.677|E|source:kolossus-nlwiki|display=title}}