(Engineering daily) Nguyen Anh Duong = The Vietnam Railway Authority has hired a Chinese consultancy to carry out a feasibility study, Vu Quang Khoi, its chief, said.
The 392㎞ route will start in the border province of Lao Cai and pass through Hanoi, eight cities and provinces in total, and end in the port city of Hai Phong.
The Chinese consultancy said currently trains between Lao Cai and Hai Phong can only operate at a maximum speed of 80㎞/h, which is unfit for the high demand.
The study is set to be completed this year, and the Ministry of Transport would start looking for investors next year.
Vietnam has over 3,000 kilometers of tracks, but none of them high-speed.
The government is considering a $58.7billion high-speed North-South railway, which is scheduled for completion by 2045.
