The Hanoi authorities on August 28 broke ground on two major national railway projects and launched or inaugurated 17 key works, marking a major step in reorganising the capital’s railway network, strengthening inter-regional connectivity and easing infrastructure bottlenecks.
The two key national railway projects are the Ngoc Hoi-Kim Son section of the Eastern Ring Railway project and the relocation of the Phu Xuyen-Ngoc Hoi section of the Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City railway. They are expected to reorganise the railway hub in southern Hanoi, strengthen regional connectivity and increase passenger, freight and logistics capacity.
The Eastern Ring Railway project's Ngoc Hoi-Kim Son section has a preliminary investment of VND27.75 trillion (about US$1.06 billion). Its main 31.3km section from the Thuong Tin area to Kim Son, together with connecting branches, will be built as an electrified double-track railway with a 1,435mm gauge and a maximum design speed of 120km per hour. It will serve both passenger and freight trains and is scheduled for completion in December 2028.
Once operational, the line will connect the Ngoc Hoi hub with the northern railway network, helping form an inter-regional freight transport corridor, ease pressure on radial railway routes and reduce the need for freight trains to enter central Hanoi. It is also expected to shorten transport times, lower logistics costs and support greener transport.
Meanwhile, the 26.5km railway relocation project, plus a 3km connecting section from Ngoc Hoi to the Bac Hong–Van Dien railway, will be built as a single-track railway with a 1,000mm gauge and a maximum design speed of 100km per hour. It is scheduled to be completed by March 31, 2027.
It will include three new stations - Ngoc Hoi as a passenger hub, Thuong Tin as a freight hub and Phu Xuyen as a passing station. Ngoc Hoi and Thuong Tin stations will facilitate connections between railway lines with different gauges.
The two projects will connect at the planned Ngoc Hoi railway complex, covering about 260ha and designed to integrate national and urban railway stations, train yards and depots. The complex is expected to serve as a major interchange between railway lines and other modes of transport.
Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Vu Dai Thang said the projects are important to gradually reorganising the national railway network through Hanoi while ensuring consistency with the city’s transport infrastructure and urban development plans.
He stressed that the large and technically complex projects require close coordination among central and local agencies from the planning and investment preparation stages through land clearance and construction. Project owners must ensure feasible schedules, adequate resources and responsibility for quality and progress.
The same day, the municipal authorities also organised the groundbreaking or inauguration of 54 projects and works worth VND401.2 trillion as part of activities to celebrate the 81st anniversary of National Day.
Among them, 17 representative projects —11 completed or technically opened to traffic and six newly launched - focus on transport, railways, water supply and drainage, urban development and reconstruction, and the renovation of the West Lake area.
