$58b for North-South high speed train: consultantsVietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam’s first-ever high speed train running from Hanoi to HCM City is projected to cost more than US$58 billion, project consultants unveiled on Tuesday. The consultants said that the high speed railway would best attract passengers and be able to compete with the soaring aviation sector if trains run at a maximum speed of 350km per hour. With such a high speed, travel time between Hanoi and HCM City will be cut dramatically to approximately 4.5 hours, compared to the current 30 hours on the train and about one hour and 40 minutes by air. ‘Huge risk’Viet Nam Bridge and Road Association vice president Nguyen Ngoc Long called the North-South high speed railway a mega-project at the same time as Vietnam is investing in other colossal projects like the North-South Expressway and the aviation development plan. “Speed proposals should also be considered carefully, but whatever is selected must guarantee the standard speed of 350kph,” he said.
