To extend the useful life of railway vehicles in Vietnam

To extend the useful life of railway vehicles in Vietnam (Internet image)

Regarding this issue, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

On December 14, 2023, the Government issued Decree 91/2023/ND-CP, amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree 65/2018/ND-CP detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Railway Transport and Decree 01/2022/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree 65/2018/ND-CP.

To extend the useful life of railway vehicles in Vietnam

Decree 91/2023/ND-CP amends Clause 2 of Article 1 of Decree 01/2022/ND-CP on the roadmap for implementing the service life of railway vehicles.

Specifically, according to Decree 01/2022/ND-CP, the roadmap for implementing the shelf life of railway vehicles is as follows:

Vehicles that expire before December 31, 2018 are allowed to operate until December 31, 2023.

Vehicles that expire from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 are allowed to operate until December 31, 2024.

Vehicles that expire from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2025, are allowed to operate until December 31, 2025.

Vehicles that expire on January 1, 2026, will not be allowed to have their operating time extended.

The above roadmap is amended by Decree 91/2023/ND-CP as follows: Vehicles that have expired their useful life as prescribed in Decree 01/2022/ND-CP are allowed to operate until December 31, 2030.

Decree 91/2023/ND-CP takes effect on January 30, 2024.

Regulations on the shelf life of railway vehicles in Vietnam

Specifically, Article 18 of Decree 65/2018/ND-CP (amended in Decree 01/2022/ND-CP) stipulates the shelf life of railway vehicles as follows:

(1) For locomotives and passenger cars running on the main lines of national railways, specialized railways, and urban railways: Not more than 40 years.

(2) For freight cars running on the main railways of national railways and specialized railways: not more than 45 years.

(3) The regulations on the expiration date of railway vehicles specified in (1) and (2) do not apply to rescue operations; Fluid accumulation in stations, ports, depots, and inside factories; Transfer between stations and depots; steam locomotives pull tourist trains; Sagging carriages specialize in transport serving security, national defense, and other specialized vehicles traveling on railways.

(4) For used imported railway vehicles: Only used vehicles may be imported that are no more than 10 years old for passenger wagons, locomotives, and urban railway wagons, and no more than 15 years old for freight wagons.

(5) Time to calculate the useful life of railway vehicles is calculated from the time the newly built vehicle is issued a certificate of quality, technical safety, and environmental protection from the registration organization or is granted a quality certificate from the manufacturer.

(6) Railway vehicles specified in (1), (2) when their useful lives expire, will be converted into

Roadworthiness of railway vehicles in Vietnam

Railway vehicles are locomotives, carriages, and specialized vehicles moving on railways.

Roadworthiness of railway vehicles:

- Comply with national technical regulation on technical safety and environmental safety;

- Have a railway vehicle registration certificate issued by a competent authority;

- Have a certificate of technical safety and environmental safety or an unexpired certificate of periodic inspection of technical safety and environmental safety issued by a competent authority.

If operating for special purposes, the railway vehicle shall be compliant with the regulations made by the Minister of Transport.

(Article 30 of the Law on Railway Transport 2017)

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