Chinese firm seeks to restore Vietnam’s Thap Cham-Da Lat Railway
Thursday, March 06, 2025, 15:40 GMT+7
A delegation from China Railway No. 2 Group met with officials in Vietnam's Lam Dong Province on Wednesday to express interest in joining the Thap Cham-Da Lat railway restoration project, an infrastructure initiative connecting south-central Ninh Thuan Province with the Central Highlands.
Guan Huapinh, a representative from the Chinese company, introduced several international projects the firm has worked on and reaffirmed its desire to collaborate with the Lam Dong administration on the railway restoration.
"We hope Lam Dong will provide information on the planning related to the railway. After that, we will prepare a feasibility report and outline the next steps for implementation," Guan said.
Tran Hong Thai, chairman of the Lam Dong People’s Committee, said the project is necessary and aligns with provincial planning, adding that Lam Dong welcomes the interest from China Railway No. 2 Group.
Chairman Thai assigned the Lam Dong Department of Construction to work with China Railway No. 2 Group to further assess the proposal.
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| A section of the Thap Cham-Da Lat railway remains in Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam. Photo: M.V. / Tuoi Tre |
The Thap Cham-Da Lat railway, originally built by the French between 1908 and 1932, spans 84 kilometers and once featured nine stations, five tunnels, two large bridges, and the Ngoan Muc and D'Ran passes.
A significant portion of the railway, 16 kilometers, ran on cogwheel tracks to accommodate steep gradients of 12 percent.
By 1986, most of the railway’s tracks and sleepers had been removed. The 6.7-kilometer Trai Mat-Da Lat section remains in operation as a tourist railway.
In 2022, the Ministry of Transport approved a VND27 trillion (US$1.1 billion) proposal to restore the railway under a public-private partnership. The Vietnamese prime minister later endorsed the project, incorporating it into the national railway network plan through 2050.
During the meeting, China Railway No. 2 Group also expressed interest in participating in the Lien Khuong Airport runway expansion project in Lam Dong Province.
The province will continue working with the company to evaluate both proposals in accordance with national infrastructure plans.
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