Hai Phong contributes 11,000 billion VND to build Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway

At the Government conference with localities on the morning of February 21, Mr. Tung said he would contribute 6,000 billion VND for site clearance and more than 5,000 billion VND to build a branch connecting directly to the seaport.

Hai Phong proposed considering the simultaneous construction plan from both ends of the route, Lao Cai and Hai Phong, to shorten the time and put the project into operation soon.

Welcoming Hai Phong's contribution of 11,000 billion VND to build a railway line, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh suggested that if the city increased it to 15,000 billion VND, "it would be even better".

On February 19, the National Assembly passed a resolution on the investment policy for the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project, with a total capital of VND203,231 billion, equivalent to USD8.37 billion, striving to complete by 2030 at the latest.

The project starts at the border rail connection point (Lao Cai province), ends at Lach Huyen station (Hai Phong), nearly 391 km long; branch line length is 27.9 km, passing through 9 provinces and cities including Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Hai Duong and Hai Phong.

The railway line is newly invested with a single track, 1.435 m gauge, for general passenger and cargo transportation; designed speed of 160 km/h for the main line from the new Lao Cai station to Nam Hai Phong station; 120 km/h for the section through the Hanoi hub area; speed of 80 km/h for the remaining sections.

Project capital comes from the budget allocated in the medium-term public investment plan and other legal sources. The project investment rate is similar to some reference projects in the region, about 15.96 million USD/km (the Vientiane - Boten route of Laos has an investment rate of 16.77 million USD/km).

In 2025, the agencies will prepare a feasibility study report, striving to complete the project by 2030 at the latest.