The Vietnam Railway Authority and the Ministry of Construction are reviewing the proposed railway network, which comprises five existing lines and six new routes, along with four major stations and 35 intermediate and technical stations.
The draft also identifies sites for a railway industrial complex and railway and road crossings.
The five existing lines, spanning about 180 kilometres, link Hanoi with Haiphong, Lang Son, Thai Nguyen, Lao Cai and HCM City. Upgrades are planned to ensure safe operations and meet future demand.
The six proposed new lines, totalling about 300 kilometres, include two railway ring routes, the North-South and Hanoi-Quang Ninh high-speed railways, and the Lao Cai-Hanoi-Haiphong and Hanoi-Dong Dang lines.
All six would be double-track lines built to the standard 1,435mm gauge.
Under the draft, the North-South and Hanoi-Quang Ninh high-speed railways would be classified as special-grade lines, while the Lao Cai-Hanoi-Haiphong and Hanoi-Dong Dang routes would be grade one. The two railway ring lines would be grade three.
The North-South high-speed railway would have a maximum design speed of 350 kilometres per hour, compared with at least 200 kilometres per hour for the Hanoi-Quang Ninh line.
The Lao Cai-Hanoi-Haiphong and Hanoi-Dong Dang routes would be designed for 160 kilometres per hour, while the two ring lines would have design speeds of 120 kilometres per hour.
The proposed axle load would be 17 tonnes for the Hanoi-Quang Ninh line and 22.5 tonnes for the other five new routes.
The draft is intended to guide future railway investment, improve transport capacity and strengthen connections between Hanoi and other provinces and economic regions.