VIETNAM’s deputy prime minister, Tran Hong Ha, has approved an updated 2021-30 national railway masterplan, containing a project to build the country’s second high-speed line from Hanoi to Halong in the northern province of Quang Ninh on the Chinese border.

The 124km line would run from Co Loa station in Hanoi, served by planned metro Line 4, to Halong Xanh station via Gia Binh where a station is proposed close to the site of a new international airport. In Halong, the high-speed line would connect with the planned Haiphong - Halong - Mong Cai railway.

In July, Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup proposed investing in a high-speed line from Hanoi to Quang Ninh province, designed for operation at up to 350km/h. The proposed route would run from Co Loa station in Hanoi via Gia Binh Airport, Haiphong and Yen Tu to the Dai Yen forest park in Quang Ninh. A fifth station has also been proposed at Yen Vien.

The project would require around 308ha of land, with total investment cost estimated at $US 5.4bn. Construction could be completed before 2030.

Other projects

The revised railway masterplan also brings forward several projects that will now receive investment before 2030, including the 187km Haiphong - Ha Long - Mong Cai line and a new line running for 156km from Hanoi to Dong Dang.

Before 2030, feasibility studies will be launched to consider the viability of building other new lines, including from Thap Cham to Da Lat, and from An Binh to Hoa Hung in Ho Chi Minh City and Tan Kien.

Vietnam’s first high-speed is the 1541km North-South Railway that will connect Hanoi with Ho Chi Minh City. The government expects to select contractors for the project by November 2026 following the completion of a feasibility study next August.

As well as expanding the country’s proposed high-speed network, the updated masterplan places emphasis on upgrading seven conventional lines, and improving links to major ports and airports as well as to China, Laos, and Cambodia.

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