Vietnam to have north-south express railway in 27 years

      The north-south express railway will be put into operation after 2036, with the speed of up to 300km per hour. Normal railways will be upgraded to increase train speed from 60km to 100km per hour, according to a report of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
According to JICA, it is feasible to develop the north-south express railway in two sections, Hanoi-Vinh and HCM City-Nha Trang.
If construction is carried out at the planned pace, the two above sections will be completed in 2020. The Vinh-Da Nang section would be put into use in 2030 and the entire route, Hanoi-HCM City, open in 2036.
The previous report by the Vietnam-Japan Consulting (VJC) group suggested Vietnam apply Japan’s Shinkansen technology in building the north-south express railway. However, this technology will be altered to be appropriate to Vietnam.
This technology was chosen after experts analysed and compared three forms of express railway construction technology in the world, namely Japan’s Shinkansen, France’s TGV and Germany’s ICE.
Using Shinkansen, the north-south express railway will be a twin railroad of 1.435m width, with designed speed of 350km per hour. The route will have a total length of 1,555km, with 27 stations. The first and the last stations are Hanoi and Hoa Hung (HCM City).
When this route becomes operational, it will help save travelling time and reduce road traffic accidents and promote the development of residential areas along the railway.
The total capital for this project is estimated at $55.8 billion, including over $35 billion for building infrastructural facilities, invested in by the state.
The project will be submitted to the National Assembly.