VIETNAM: The Ministry of Transport has put forward proposals for rail reforms which aim to better meet local needs when planning transport infrastructure for 2030, and looking further ahead to 2050. Planning has also restarted for a much-discussed north-south 350 km/h high speed line.
Under the reform proposals, all railway lines on the national network would be classified as national, local or specialised. The lines deemed national would be managed directly by the ministry to serve the interests of the country as a whole.
The local lines would be managed by regional or urban authorities, with funding allocated according to the length of railway in their area and a lead authority appointed for inter-regional routes. It is hoped that this would spur the development of projects meeting local requirements, including urban transport.
The ‘specialised lines’ would be managed by particular organisations to meet their own specific needs.
Meanwhile, the ministry is finalising proposals for a 350 km/h north–south high speed line, effectively reviving a project to link the urban areas around Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City that was last proposed in the late 2000s.
The government envisages that if the plans were to be approved this year, construction could begin by 2030 for opening by 2040.
Support could come from countries such as South Korea, China or Japan.
The plans centre on passenger services using the new high speed line, releasing the existing metre-gauge north-south railway to be upgraded to handle more freight traffic.
