VN plans major rail-network upgrade in south
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Vietnam's Ministry of Transport has unveiled plans to lay eight broad-gauge railway tracks in the southern and south-central regions by 2020.
The rails will measure 1.435 metres between the inner edges instead of the current 1m.
To be built mostly in and around Ho Chi Minh City, they are estimated to cost 341 trillion dong (Bt508 billion), and will be sourced from ODA (official development assistance) loans, government bonds, and the private sector, besides public funds.
Nguyen Van Doanh, deputy chief of the Department of Railways, said the railway network and facilities would be improved in Ho Chi Minh City and its surrounding provinces.
The Southern Transport Engineering Design Incorporation, which drafted the comprehensive plan, said a total land area of 1,458 hectares would be needed for the project, including 508 hectares in Ho Chi Minh City, 377 hectares in Dong Nai Province and 314 hectares in Binh Duong.
The department has urged localities to inform residents and relevant agencies about the land areas that would be acquired so that they would be prepared.
Passenger trains would travel above or below ground in the city centre, it said.
Dang Minh Hai, deputy director of the Southern Transport Engineering Design Incorporation, said the wider gauge would allow trains to run at a speed of at least 120 kilometres an hour.
The construction of the new rail would not affect the operation of the existing 1m-gauge railway, he said.
All eight would have twin tracks for trains to run in both directions at the same time. The trains will run on electricity instead of diesel as they do now, causing less damage to the environment.
Hai said technology would be used to reduce the noise of trains and improve level crossing systems in residential areas.
The existing 2,000km of tracks, which were built more than 100 years ago by the French, have become decrepit and are in urgent need of upgrades and renovation.
It takes trains around 30 hours to cover the 1,726km Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City.
