Vietnam is considering building a new higher speed rail route connecting Hanoi to the northern border with China to boost two-way trade (Photo: hanoimoi.vn)

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam is planning to build a new higher speed rail route connecting the capital city of Hanoi tothe northern border with China to boost two-way trade.

According the project plans, the 391 kilometrerailway linking Hai Phong city, Hanoi and Lao Cai province will have the globalstandard track gauge of 1,435mm instead of century-old gauge of 1,000mm commonin Vietnam. The average speed for passenger trains can reach 160km per hourwhile the freight ones will run at about 90km per hour.

ℱ During a recent meeting on the planning for thenew railway, which will run in parallel with the existing slow one with anaverage speed of 50km per hour, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dongsaid that it would play a key role in the socio-economic development of thelocalities it runs through, including Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc,Hanoi, Hung Yen, Hai Duong and the port city of Hai Phong.

It wasalso expected to improve Vietnam’s international transport connectivityand trade activity, particularly with China, he said, adding that the railway willdraw more Vietnamese exports to China, or they may be transported there beforeleaving for Central Asia or Europe and vice versa.

The State-owned Beijing-based China Railway FifthSurvey and Design Institute Group was the consultant unit to map the planningof the rail route. They were also asked to look into the possibility ofconnecting the rail tracks in Lao Cai with those on the other side of theborder in China’s Hekou County.

Vietnam Railways Deputy General Director Phan Quoc Anh saidthat the difference in track gauge remained a major barrier to rail transportbetween Vietnam and China.

According to Anh, most of China’s railways werebuilt with the standard track gauge and only a number of short-range railwaysnear the Vietnamese border had the 1,000mm gauge tracks.

Vietnamese products delivered to China on trainscould only reach the Shanyan train station in the border area of Hekou, orslightly further at the Shilicun station in Yunnan at most before they wereforced to load off and on again to bigger wagons. That was the only way thegoods could go deeper into China to access a wider market.

Dong said that the Ministry of Transport wasproactively negotiating with China to finalise plans to connect the two sides’rail tracks so that the construction could start as soon as possible.

Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Lao Caiprovince Nguyen Thanh Duong said that the province is set to sign a cooperationagreement with Hai Phong and Yunnan to promote cargo transport this May.

🌌 With the new rail route in the planning stages, theopportunity to raise the freight volume between the three localities was huge,he said, adding that a connection of rail tracks between Vietnam and China willnot only increase the freight transport but the passenger transport also.-VNA