Hanoi is planning to turn the city’s historic train station into a massive commercial complex.
According to Dan Tri, capital officials are mulling over a proposal put forth by Japanese company Nikken Sekkei Civil Engineering Ltd. Co which would completely change the icon train station as well as the neighborhood surrounding it.
Specifically, Nikken plans to build six buildings with 40-70 stories each at the station area. These new structures will house a shopping center, a residential area, along with areas for parks, recreational and cultural activities.
The area revamp will span 98 hectares, serving around 44,000 residents.
Some experts have voiced concerns that the ambitious project might do more harm than good to Hanoi’s already bottlenecked road system.
Vice Chairman of the Hanoi Urban Planning and Development Association Dao Ngoc Nghiem opined that putting high-rises of such a scale in the middle of the city will exacerbate traffic congestion in downtown Hanoi.
Moreover, he also commented that the skyscrapers will stand out like sore thumbs amid the inner-city’s historical neighborhoods. Not to mention that the proposed height of future buildings far exceeds the current area limit of only 18 stories.
According to the plan, the French-style current Hanoi Station will be obliterated and replaced by a brand-new structure to serve the future Yen Vien-Ngoc Hoi metro route once it’s finished.
Cong An Nhan Dan reports that for the Hanoi Train Station project, capital authorities will need to shell out VND23.8 trillion in three phases from now until 2035.
[Photo via Mangamondo]
