Vietnam to build north-south express railway

Vietnam is planning to build a north-south express railway, the country’s biggest transportation project ever, according to the Vietnam-Japan Consulting Joint Venture (VJC) here on Monday.

This project is part of the country’s railway transport development strategy by 2020 with a vision to 2050, approved by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung last November.

The railway will start from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. The Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City express railway will be 1,570km long, with 27 stations. The trains’ top speed will be 300 kilometers an hour.

The four-phase project is estimated to need an investment of over 55.8 billion U.S. dollars. The money will be sourced from the state budget, the Vietnam Railway Corporation and other investors.

According to VJC, some priority sections of the railway like the Hanoi-central Nghe An province and Ho Chi Minh City- central Khanh Hoa province can open in 2020. The entire route is expected to become operational by 2036.

When the railway is put into operation, it will take five hours and a half to travel from Vietnam’s capital city Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, said VJC.

Source: Xinhua

Tags: Vietnam Infrastructure, Vietnam north-south express railway