Vietnam to build 8 railways at cost of $16 bln

The Transport Ministry’s Vietnam Railways Administration (VRA) has announced a plan to build eight railways, most of which link Ho Chi Minh City to other localities, at a total estimated cost of VND341,261 billion (US$16.1billion).

The announcement was made at a meeting held by the VRA with HCMC Transport Department and other concerned agencies on Friday, during which they discussed issues related to the implementation of the plan.

The investment capital for the railways will come from Official Development Assistance (ODA), government bonds, the State budget, contributions by private companies, and other sources. 

All these eight railways are expected to be complete by 2020.  

The first railway will be 39 km long, running from the Saigon Railway Station to Trang Bom District, southern Dong Nai Province, according to the Transport Engineering Design Joint Stock Incorporated South (TEDI South).

The second is planned to run from the city through Tien Giang province’s My Tho City to southern Can Tho City, with a total length of 174 km, of which 62 km will be for express trains.

The third will be 366 km long, including 32 km for high-speed trains. It will connect the city with the south-central coastal city of Nha Trang.

The fourth will link the city to southern Tay Ninh Province, with a length of 39.8 km, while the fifth will stretch 128 km from Binh Duong Province’s Di An town, which borders HCM City, to Loc Ninh District in southern Binh Phuoc Province.

The sixth will connect Thu Thiem, HCM City, to the Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai Province. It will serve passengers who want to get to the airport from the city.

The seventh will link southern Long An Province’s Can Duoc District to Hiep Phuoc Port in Nha Be District, HCM City.

The last railway, with 54.6 km in length, will run from Dong Nai Province’s Bien Hoa City to the coastal city of Vung Tau.

Upon operation, these railways will help meet the increasing demand for transport of both passengers and cargo between HCM City and other provinces and cities, significantly contributing to boosting the social and economic development of all localities involved.