HCMC – The Government has this month approved a plan to develop nine new railways with a total length of nearly 2,400 kilometers by 2030, including the North-South express railway project.
According to a decision approving the master plan for the railway system in the 2021-2030 period with a vision to 2050, the railway sector will upgrade existing routes, connect with international routes and develop new rail routes.
The country currently has seven rail routes which are 2,440 kilometers long in total, the local media reported.
Among the nine new routes, the largest project is the North-South high-speed railway stretching from the Ngoc Hoi Station in Hanoi to the Thu Thiem Station in HCMC, which will be some 1,500 kilometers long. The Ministry of Transport proposed developing the Hanoi-Vinh and HCMC-Nha Trang sections before 2030.
In the north, three railway projects will be executed, including the 129-kilometer Yen Vien-Pha Lai-Halong-Cai Lan route, the 102-kilometer Hanoi-Haiphong route and the 59-kilometer Ngoc-Hoi-Lac-Dao-Bac Hong route.
The central region will be home to the 103-kilometer Vung Ang-Tan Ap-Mu Gia route stretching from the Vung Ang Port in Ha Tinh Province to the Mu Gia Mountain Pass in the border area of Vietnam and Laos.
In addition, four new rail routes will be built in the south, including the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau route which will link the Trang Bom Station in Dong Nai Province to the Vung Tau Station in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, the HCMC-Can Tho route running from the An Binh Station to the Cai Rang Station, the HCMC-Loc Ninh connecting the Di An Station to the Hoa Lu Border Gate, and more importantly, the Thu Thiem-Long Thanh route stretching from the Thu Thiem Station to the Long Thanh International Airport. The four routes will have a length of 84, 174, 128 and 38 kilometers, respectively.
The railway sector has set a target to transport 11.8 million tons of cargo and 460 million passengers by 2030, accounting for 0.27% and 4.4% of the transport market, respectively.
The investment needed for railway projects until 2030 is some VND240 trillion, or more than US$10 billion.
By 2050, the North-South express railway together with new railways from Hanoi and HCMC, railways connecting seaports, industrial parks and the Central Highlands, coastal railways and those connecting with international routes are expected to be completed. The national railway system by 2050 will have 25 routes with a total length of nearly 6,400 kilometers.
To achieve the target, the Government will issue policies to encourage domestic and foreign individuals and organizations to invest in these railway projects, and exploit land funds at rail stations to mobilize capital and develop the national railway infrastructure.
The Government will also continue using official development assistance loans and preferential loans of international investors and enhancing the mobilization of private sources in the railway business.
