Vietnam is planning to build a new railway line for trains to run at up to 200kph – three times the current top speed – after 2020, and up to 350kph after 2050, Vietnamese media cited the country’s railway development plan as saying.

>> Vietnam trains to offer free Wi-Fi access from late January The railway is part of the plan by 2020 with a vision toward 2050 that has been approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, according to news website VnExpress. Under the plan, from now until 2020, the railway sector will upgrade the existing railway routes, with priority given to modernizing the north-south railway system to increase speeds to 80-90kph for passenger trains and 50-60kph for cargo trains. The railway sector will fully operate the existing route that runs from Yen Vien through Pha Lai and Ha Long to Cai Lan, and look into the construction of new lines such as the Hanoi-Lao Cai, Hanoi-Hai Phong, Hanoi-Dong Dang, Hai Phong-Lach Huyen in the northern region, and the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau and Saigon-Can Tho in the southern region. In addition, railway routes that lead to major seaports and industrial parks will also be built. In the 2020-2030 period, an express railway for trains traveling at 160-200kph will be constructed and railway infrastructure will be further upgraded so that the train speeds can increase later. After 2050, express routes for trains traveling at 350kph will be put into operation and a number of major railway systems will be completed, including the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) route, the trans-Asia route, and others, according to the plan. Through the plan, the railway sector hopes to obtain a share of at least 5-8 percent of the passenger transport market and another share of at least 5-6 percent of the cargo transport market in Vietnam in the future. The sector also aims to account for over 30 percent of the urban passenger transport markets in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.  

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