Railway study on track to connect Hanoi with neighboring provinces

The Vietnamese government has asked relevant agencies to develop a roadmap for research and investment in urban railway lines connecting Hanoi with the nearby provinces of Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Ha Nam and Vinh Phuc.

The government on Wednesday issued an action plan to implement the Politburo's resolution on socio-economic development and national defense and security in the Red River Delta until 2030, with a vision to 2045.

In addition to the railway lines from Hanoi to the four northern provinces, the government requested a research on Nam Dinh-Thai Binh-Hai Phong-Quang Ninh urban lines. Metro lines in Hanoi need to be completed soon, it noted.

In the Red River Delta, only Hanoi has urban railways. According to a plan until 2030, the capital will have 10 routes with a total length of 417 km, of which 75 km will be underground. Currently, only the Cat Linh-Ha Dong route has been completed and operated commercially after 10 years of construction.

According to the government resolution, the railway network in the Red River Delta will be upgraded and connected to international transport routes, while the Yen Vien-Pha Lai-Ha Long-Cai Lan route will be completed. A North-South high-speed railway section from Hanoi to Vinh town in the central province of Nghe An will be researched for investment.

In terms of roads, by 2027, Ring Road 4 in the Hanoi region and a coastal road passing through Thai Binh, Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh provinces will be completed, while the Ba La-Xuan Mai section of National Highway No. 6 will be expanded.

By 2030, Ring Road 5 in the Hanoi region, the North-South Expressway's western section, the Ninh Binh-Hai Phong Expressway, the Noi Bai-Bac Ninh-Ha Long Expressway, and the ring roads 4 and 5 in Ha Nam province and localities in the region will be completed. The expressways connecting Phap Van-Cau Gie-Ninh Binh, Hanoi-Bac Giang, and Hoa Lac-Hoa Binh will be expanded.

Expressways of Phap Van-Cau Gie-Ninh Binh, Hanoi-Bac Giang, and Hoa Lac-Hoa Binh will be widened, given the Phap Van-Cau Gie section is often congested during holidays.

The Hai Phong-Quang Ninh inland waterway to Hanoi, Viet Tri, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh provinces and the Van Gia-Ka Long coastal route will be renovated, and new wharves at the Lach Huyen port in Hai Phong city and Quang Ninh province will receive investment. Noi Bai, Cat Bi and Van Don airports will be expanded.

In addition, the government has advocated developing regional economic corridors, including the North-South corridor; the Kunming (China)-Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong-Quang Ninh corridor; the Nanning (China)-Lang Son-Hanoi-Hai Phong-Quang Ninh corridor; and the coastal Quang Ninh-Hai Phong-Thai Binh-Nam Dinh-Ninh Binh corridor.