The Ministry of Transport proposes upgrading the current North-South railway
Minister of Transport, Dinh La Thang, said at a recent meeting with partners from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), "Even though the railway is aging after more than one hundred years of use, we can upgrade it instead of building a new line to save on expenses."
The upgraded system would be able to handle passenger trains that could travel up to 90 kilometres per hour and cargo trains that could reach speeds of 60 kilometres per hour.
JICA estimates that the proposed upgrade to the 1,800 kilometre long line would cost around USD1.8 billion and lessen the travel time from Hanoi to HCM City from 30 hours to just over 25.
Thang added that there were plans to submit the design of a new express passenger line that could go up to speeds of 200 kilometres per hour ready to the National Assembly. But JICA said such plans should not be cost-effective for the time being, estimated to be about USD27.7 billion. They suggested that a pilot line be built connecting Hanoi's Ngoc Hoi district with Phu Ly city in Ha Nam Province.
These sections could come into operation by 2021, while those between HCM City and Nha Trang or Hanoi and Vinh are expected to be able to be put into use by 2030 and 2035, respectively. The entire line is slated for completion by 2040.
