Viet Nam News
HÀ NỘI — The transport ministry is in favour of the project to upgrade the Hà Nội Railway Station, as well as its surrounding areas, and to concretise the capital city’s general planning, said Deputy Minister Nguyễn Ngọc Đông.
“The project does not mention building high rises inside the station, so there will be no impact of the high rises on the station,” he said.
He added that the planning was not only for the Hà Nội Railway Station but also for the whole area covering 98ha, including Văn Miếu and Văn Chương area. The Hà Nội Railway Station makes up only 17ha.
Đông said that the project to upgrade the Hà Nội Railway Station was relevant to the urban planning of the capital city. The ministry has requested professional agencies in railway and road to study and give feedback on the project.
“However, the transport infrastructure of Hà Nội and HCM City is overloaded. The land spared for the transport infrastructure in these cities accounts for only 7 per cent to 8 per cent; meanwhile, the standard for a developed city must be between 16 and 26 per cent. It must be even more than 26 per cent for major cities, such as Hà Nội and HCM City.
“We will consider and study the density of roads per 1,000 residents in the 98-ha planning area,” he said.
“As a transport management agency, the ministry will additionally study the national transport planning, which consists of planning on the Hà Nội railway. The Hà Nội Railway Station is still regarded as a central station. In the future, it may be part of an international route,” he said.
The high speed railway will run into the Hà Nội Railway Station in the future. We must count the density of this railway into the general density of Hà Nội. The ministry will give more comments on the parking areas and the transport organisation, Đông said.
“We will give comments to the Hà Nội authorities on how large a space should be spared for the socialisation projects at the Hà Nội Railway Station,” he added.
According to the project plan of the Japanese consultants, the current location of the Hà Nội Railway Station will be totally maintained with the station’s front part facing the Trần Hưng Đạo Street.
The project to upgrade the capital’s old railway station and the surrounding areas into a Japanese-style modern urban depot surrounded by buildings of up to 70 storeys was approved by the Hà Nội People’s Committee last month. It will be carried out in stages and will be completed by 2035.
The plan calls for six zones of high-rise buildings of between 40 storeys to 70 storeys for financial and media purposes, a railway station, and three areas of low-rise buildings with a park, international trade zone and a new lifestyle zone.
The project will cover a total area of 98ha in the districts of Đống Đa, Hoàn Kiếm, Ba Đình and Hai Bà Trưng. The total investment capital is estimated at VNĐ23.8 trillion (US$1.03 billion), to be prepared by the city’s Department of Planning and Architecture in consultation with Japan’s Nikken Sekkei Civil Engineering Ltd (NSC). — VNS