The Phuong Nam Science and Technology Institute has proposed that the Ministry of Transport (MOT) change the direction and add nine urban satellite stations to the $10 billion HCM City – Can Tho High-speed Railway after seven years of research.

Under the new suggestion, the route would go along the right corridor of the HCM City – Trung Luong and Trung Luong – My Thuan highways, and be 134.9 kilometers long, traversing five cities and provinces, namely HCM City, Long An, Tien Giang, Vinh Long and Can Tho.

It would have nine stations, starting at Tan Kien station in HCM City and ending at Can Tho station in Can Tho City.

The suggested re-direction is different from the initial detailed plan of the HCM City – Can Tho, which would have begun at the An Binh cargo station in Binh Duong and end in Can Tho, with length of 173.677 kilometers, including 14 stations.

The adjustment would reduce the length of the entire route by five kilometers, thus saving $200 million in construction costs.

For a high-speed railway, the dual 1,435 mm gauge for both passenger and cargo transport will be used. The maximum speed for passenger trains would be 200 kilometers per hour, and 150 kilometers for a cargo train.

The HCM City – Can Tho route is capitalized at $4.4 billion, while the Thanh Phu – Hiep Phuoc branch is $791.35 million. The remaining $4.6 billion is reserved for urban terminal and other items.

The institute has suggested implementing the project under the PPP (public private partnership) mode, with 100 percent of capital from private investors.

The State will come forward and intervene in the organization of site clearance, but private investors will pay for site clearance. They will manage and exploit the route for 25 years before handing over to the state.

Vu Quang Khoi, head of the Vietnam Railway Administration, said the HCM City – Can Tho will help ease the overloading on roads. However, he asked to clarify what type of PPP investment to be applied as there is no detailed financial plan.

MOT Deputy Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong said the railway project is just a suggestion from Phuong Nam.

However, he said that 150 kilometers is not the ideal distance for a railway.

“With the suggested length and speed, the railway won’t be able to compete with waterways and roads,” he said. 

Vu Diep

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