A map shows the planned high-speed HCM City-Cần Thơ railway route. — Photo www.sggp.org.vn

HCM CITY — Construction of a planned high-speed railway between HCM City and Cần Thơ City needs a total investment of nearly VNĐ214 trillion (US$9 billion).

The Railway Project Management Board, which is in charge of doing a pre-feasibility study for the HCM City - Cần Thơ railway project, has reported to the Ministry of Transport research results, including the proposed investment capital, for the project.

The research results were given after the Railway Project Management Board worked with six localities where the project passes through.

The investment capital depends on technology that will have to be adjusted and updated during further research in the next stage.

The new railway route will be nearly 175km long, with 15 stations and 11 maintenance and repair stations.

It will start at An Bình Station in Bình Dương Province, pass through HCM City and Long An, Tiền Giang and Vĩnh Long provinces, and end at Cái Răng Station in Cần Thơ City.

Passenger trains will run at 190km per hour and freight trains at 120km.

The consulting unit proposes the project be invested in the public-private partnership (PPP) form under a build-transfer-lease (BLT) contract.

Early construction of the project is expected to spur inter-regional development.

HCM City is the centre of the southern key economic region while Cần Thơ is its Mekong Delta counterpart.

The new railway will enable people to travel between HCM City and Cần Thơ in just 45 minutes while it takes three hours by road now.

It will reduce the cost of transporting goods from the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta to ports in HCM City and Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu Province, and improve the competitiveness of the country’s exports.

It is included in a master plan that comprises five high-speed rail links between HCM City and other provinces to ensure smooth transport of goods and improve logistics services and links between major ports.

The others are to Tây Ninh Province, Long Thành International Airport in Đồng Nai Province, Nha Trang City in Khánh Hòa Province, and Long An Province's international port. — VNS