Japan aid agency completes study for Hanoi-Vinh new rail line
Source: 15-MAY-2008 Intellasia | Saigon Times Daily page 1
May 15, 2008 - 7:00:00 AM The Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has completed the feasibility study(F/S) for a new double-track rail line linking capital city Hanoi with the central province of Vinh.

The new line, measuring 1.435 metres in width as part of a larger plan by the Vietnam Railway Administration for developing a cross-country express railway, is projected to cost US$12.9 billion, KOICA said in a statement issued yesterday.

KOICA will today hold a conference in Hanoi to present the final report of the F IS to the government Office, the National Assembly Office and ministerial officials, as well as international organisations.

The report will be handed over to Vietnam today, Yoo Yeon Chul, counsellor cum deputy chief of mission of the Korean embassy in Vietnam, said in the statement. He said he expected the report to be used as an overall picture for the development and modernisation of Vietnam's railway system.

The F/S, prepared by Korean consultants including Korean Railroad Research Institute and Chung Suk Engineering, indicates that the 334 kilometres-long Hanoi-Vinh railway would be built as a 1.435-metre track, instead of the existing one-metre -wide railways.

The Korea government, through KOICA, supported Vietnam to undertake the study in two-years starting in 2006. The project is a priority railway project in Vietnam's infrastructure development master plan until 2020.

KOICA said the new line would allow trains to travel at a speed of 200 kilometres per hour as well as greatly improve the safety of railway transport compared to the existing aging line, which allows for a maximum speed of 60 kilometres per hour. If the train runs at 167 kilometres per hour, it will take around two hours to travel between Hanoi and Vinh while the existing trains need six hours for the same trip.

The new line, which is 36 kilometres shorter than the existing one, will form part of the country's North South Express Railway linking HCM City and Hanoi. The new cross-country line will increase the quality and safety of rail services, and help the country's railway sector to integrate into the trans-Asia rail network.

Last March, Vietnam's Railway Administration and KOICA had jointly completed a feasibility study for the express railway section linking HCM City and Nha Trang after a two-year survey. Under the survey, the rail section will be some 369 kilometres, and requires US$7.8 billion of investment.

Vietnam has put forth strong ambition to build an express railway linking Hanoi and HCM City, and will seek international donors' loans to cover the bulk of the huge investment of US$33 billion, according to an official of Ministry of Transport.

The official told the Daily yesterday that the country expected to receive official development assistance (ODA) loans from Japan and others to build the north -south express railway as the cost of up to US$33 billion is beyond Vietnam's capacity.

Last year, the prime minister demanded that the project be completed within six-years since the start of construction. However, preparatory steps alone will take up two to three-years.

In the middle of last year, Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) sent an specialist group to Vietnam to start up a study for this express railway, which once in place will shorten the travel time between Hanoi and HCM City to less than 10 hours compared to some 30 hours now.

Nguyen HuuBang, general director of Vietnam Railway Corp., had told the Daily that the 1.435-metre-wide express railway would be 1,630 kilometres in length. His corporation is expected to cover one third of the cost, while the remainder should come from other local and international sources, including the private sector.