Due to the high cost of investment, a consortium of consulting firms for the North-South high-speed railway project led by Transport Engineering Design Inc. (TEDI) has proposed building the railway in phases, starting with the Thu Thiem-Long Thanh section connecting HCMC and Dong Nai Province.
Due to the high cost of investment, a consortium of consulting firms for the North-South high-speed railway project led by Transport Engineering Design Inc. (TEDI) has proposed building the railway in phases, starting with the Thu Thiem-Long Thanh section connecting HCMC and Dong Nai Province.
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| The current railways are outdated - PHOTO: LE ANH |
The consortium is currently preparing the prefeasibility study for the project so that the Government can submit it to the National Assembly at the end of this year. According to the consortium, the Thu Thiem-Long Thanh section is expected to be put into commercial operation between 2028 and 2029.
Following this, the Hanoi-Vinh and Nha Trang-HCMC sections will be developed and are scheduled for completion in 2032. Construction of the remaining Vinh-Nha Trang section will begin in 2035 so that the whole railway can be put into service between 2040 and 2045.
The North-South express track is expected to link Hanoi City and HCMC, crossing 20 provinces and cities.
The project was designed to allow for a speed of 160 kilometers to 200 kilometers per hour and will later be improved to allow for a traveling speed of 320 kilometers per hour. It will be executed in phases to ensure capital availability and efficiency.
The express railway, which was scheduled to be 1,545 kilometers long, is slated to have 23 railway stations and five depots.
The project requires an investment of some VND1,330 trillion (US$57.1 billion), including VND45.2 trillion for site clearance and VND992.6 trillion for construction and equipment, sourced from public-private partnership deals, the State budget, official development assistance loans and land use fees.
According to TEDI’s plan, the prefeasibility study for the project will be considered by the Ministry of Transport in November before being sent to the State Evaluation Council for investment projects and the Government for assessment between December this year and August next year.
Between August and October next year, a National Assembly working group will inspect the construction site for the project.
(Source:SGT)
