Construction on a new north-south express railway will cost US$55.8 billion, said experts from Vietnam-Japan Consulting Joint Venture (VJC) at a recent conference held by Vietnam Railway Corporation (VRC).
Of the figure, US$35 billion, or approx. 63 per cent of the sum will come from the state budget and loans guaranteed by the Government to build infrastructure, and the remaining from VRC and other developers to acquire land and set up facilities.
The new rail line, planned to begin at Hanoi station and end in Hoa Hung Station in HCM City, will be 1,555km long with 27 stations, allowing trains to travel at 350km per hour. It will be built alongside the current track.
The route’s sections from Hanoi to Vinh City in central Nghe An Province and from HCM City to Nha Trang are expected to be in use by 2020. The Hanoi -HCM City stretch is scheduled to open in 2035. It is hoped that the train fares will cost the same as flights.
VJC reported that if the plan stays on schedule, the travel times in 2020 will be slashed to one hour and 24 minutes for the Hanoi – Vinh section and one hour and 30 minutes for the Saigon – Nha Trang section.
By 2030, the section of Hanoi – Danang will need only three hours to cover, while the travel time between Hanoi and HCM City will be reduced to between five hours 26 minutes and six hours and 33 minutes.
Around 4,170 hectares of land will be required for the project, about two-thirds of which are agricultural and forest land, 20 per cent rural land, and 10 per cent urban land. Up to 10,000 houses must be relocated to clear the space for the project, the experts said.
VJC has proposed three high-speed rail systems to choose from, comprising Japanese Shinkansen, French TGV and ICE of Germany.
The venture gathered experts from Vietnam’s Transport Investment and Construction Consultant Joint Stock Company, and three partners from Japan, including Japan Transportation Consultant Inc, Japan Railway Technical Service and Nippon Koei.
The current north-south railway was opened in 1936 and has seen various changes over its lifetime. In recent times, the VRC has continuously upgraded the infrastructure and trains to reduce travel times between HCM City and Hanoi from 42 hours to 40, 36, and now to 29 hours. (Vietnam & World Economy)
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