Go big or go home.
Tien Phong reports that five high-speed rail lines connecting Saigon to other parts of southern Vietnam will be built by 2025. The routes are part of a plan to improve logistics in the region that has been approved by the city's People's Committee.
According to the ambitious plan, the first line will begin in Saigon and run through My Tho in Tien Giang Province before terminating in Can Tho, the delta's largest city. The second route will run from Saigon to Tay Ninh Province and link to the first line at Tan Chanh Hiep Station in District 12.
A third line will connect the Thu Thiem New Urban Area in District 2 to the planned Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai Province. Construction of the airport, which officials hope to turn into a major regional hub, is expected to begin this month after years of delay.
The news source shares that the fourth will link the existing national railway to Hiep Phuoc Port in Nha Be District and Long An International Port in the namesake province; this line will only serve freight trains. The last segment, linking Saigon and Nha Trang, is part of an existing Saigon–Hanoi high-speed railway project; construction on this stretch will be expedited.
It is unclear what exactly is meant by "high-speed" in this proposal, as there are no existing high-speed rail lines in Vietnam, and a plan to build a nationwide HSR system has stirred vigorous debate over its sky-high expected cost.
The municipal People's Committee has also asked the Ministry of Transport to upgrade the current national rail system so that both passenger and cargo trains can move more quickly, in addition to widening expressways around the city in order to accommodate more traffic.
