Many rail tunnels need upgrading

The Vietnam Railways Corporation (VNR) recently submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Transport to upgrade 22 tunnels on the railway line between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The Vietnam Railways Corporation (VNR) recently submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Transport to upgrade 22 tunnels on the railway line between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam Railway to equitise subsidiaries as part of reforms Transport ministry affirms wavy railway meets safety standards The railway is the main line in Vietnam, and covers 1,726 km. 

The tunnels are located in the central provinces of Quang Binh, Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa. 

Doi Sy Hung, deputy general director of the corporation, said that the restoration would improve the safety and effectiveness of the railway system. 

Railways only account for 2.19% of the transport market share, and 1.2% of the logistics sector. 

The project aims to increase the average train speed to between 80kmph and 90kmph for passenger trains and between 50kmph and 60kmph for goods trains. 

The restoration includes the upgrade of the drainage system along the tunnels. 

The VND3 trillion (US$136 million) project will be funded by the State budget and Government bonds. 

If approved, the project will take more than five years to complete. 

Previously in February, the VRC also proposed its plan to develop its railway transport system towards 2020, which was approved by the Prime Minister. 

The strategy also includes a plan to build a new high-speed north-south railway with priority given to busy routes such as Hanoi-HCM City, Hanoi-Vinh and HCM City-NhaTrang.