VietNamNet Bridge – Even as the proposal to shift Ha Noi Station is being discussed by policy-makers, experts and citizens, the railway maintained that the master plan had not mentioned such a move.

Ha Noi railway station is the oldest railway station in Viet Nam with more than 100 years of history. — Photo: VNE

“The master plan for the development of Viet Nam’s Railway by 2020, envisioning up to 2030, as approved by the Prime Minister, does not mention the shifting of Ha Noi Station out of the city centre,” Doan Duy Hoach, deputy director of Viet Nam Railway, said on Wednesday.

He was responding to the proposal to shift Ha Noi Station, which was raised by Pham Xuan Binh, deputy director of Ha Noi Police Department, on Tuesday.

According to Binh, Ha Noi has about 10km of inter-province railway with several intersections. This triggered conflicts, rail accidents and urban intricacy. Therefore, he said moving the station would help resolve these issues.

Hoach said that Viet Nam Railway would consider Binh’s opinion, but the decision would be made by Prime Minister.

He also proposed a plan to build MRT or BTS systems, instead of moving Ha Noi station out of the city centre.

Pham Xuan Thuy, a traffic expert, said that Ha Noi Station helped connect transport infrastructure and reduced distances among routes to other locations.

The current location of the station makes it convenient for citizens to use other modes of public transport, such as buses, metro (in the future) and taxis, Thuy added.

Ha Noi will lose billions if the station is moved, he said.

“Moving the station has been proposed from the perspective of public security. Conversely, it will worsen the situation because of the increasing pace of travel, which may lead to more traffic accidents. On the other hand, people are used to travel from the city centre, moving the station would mean they will have to change their habit,” Thuy said.

Several famous cities have stations at their centres, namely Moscow, Paris and Tokyo.

“I don’t want it to be moved. We should find other solutions to ease the traffic conflict points and improve the city’s infrastructure,” said Nguyen Thi Tuyen, a resident near the Ha Noi Station.

Dao Ngoc Nghiem, deputy dead of Ha Noi Association of Urban Architecture, also said that moving the Ha Noi Station would prove to be costly, and show poor vision on heritage preservation.

He said that Ha Noi Station was just a transit point and not a junction. Junctions have to be urban or inter-province stations; therefore, moving the station is not necessary, he added. 

VNS