VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam and Japan on May 21 signed a memorandum of understanding on the Hanoi-Noi Bai express railway project, according to the Ministry of Transportation.

Controversies over North-South express railway project

Accordingly, the two sides will make a detailed survey to find out whether the Hanoi-Noi Bai railway can be upgraded into an express rail, using Japan’s Shinkansen technology.

Doi Sy Hung, director of the Vietnam Railway Corporation’s railway safety project management unit, said that his agency was assigned to design the Hanoi-Noi Bai railway. This railway will be set up based on the upgrade of the 29.7km Ha Dong-Bac Hong (Dong Anh district) rail and construction of an additional 8km rail from Bac Hong to the Noi Bai International Airport.

Last year Japanese Itochu company in cooperation with the Vietnam Railways Corporation conducted research on the possible upgrade of the current Ha Dong-Bac Hong railway into an express railway. The Vietnam Railways Corporation proposed to use Japan’s official development aid to implement this project.

Hung said that the Vietnam Railway Corporation is moving on this project but it has not received the Ministry of Transportation’s guidance to upgrade this route using Shinkansen technology yet.

PV