North-South Railway, Vietnam
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The Vietnam North-South Railway is a railway that runs from Ha Noi to Ho Chi Minh City. The total length of this railway is 1726 km, with a gauge of 1 m. The railway passes following provinces: Ha Noi, Ha Tay, Ha Nam, Nam Đinh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Dong Nai, Binh Dương, Ho Chi Minh City. The railway serpents the coastline of Vietnam, through several beautiful landscapes of Vietnam such as: Hai Van Pass, Lanco Peninsular, Van Phong Bay... This railway holds the world's records for being the railway on which the speed of the trains is slowest. The highest speed that the trains of Vietnam Railway Corporation have reached on this line so far is 32 hours from Hochiminh City to Hanoi or vice versa. The railway is crossed by many roads in several crownded residences. Many accidents between trains and vehicles have happened. This railway is under the management and owed by Vietnam Raiway Corporation.
[edit] History
This railway was constructed during by the French colonist s as part of railway network in French Indochina. On 2nd October 1936, the Hanoi-Saigon Railway with the length of 1,726 km, metre gauge (1 m) was officially inaugurated by the French colonists. In 1954, following the signature of Geveva Accords, Vietnam is temporarily divided into two parts: the communist North and anti-communist and French collaborator's South. This railway was bisected accordingly at Hien Luong Bridge. During Vietnam War, this railway was a target of bombardments and explosion by North Vietnam and South Vietnam. After the Fall of Saigon on 30th April 1975, Vietnam was united and so the railway. On 31st December 1976, the severely war-torn railway was fully restored and put into operation.
[edit] Improvement Plan
On 1st January 2002, Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai approved a "Master Plan for Vietnam's railway towards 2020" to improve this railway which an important part of capital loaned by Japanese ODA. The total estimated investment capital is expected US$ 32 billion. Janpanese companies will be given priority in being the contractors for this project. Japan has sent a research commission to Vietnam to carry our topographical and geographical survey. Japanese shinkansen express bullet train has been suggested to be used for this new railway. Once competition, the North-South Railway will have 2 parallel standard gauge tracks, not directly crossed by the roads and will allow trains to run at a speed of 300 km per hour. The pre-feasiblity study is underway. Prime Minsiter Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered the Minister of Transportation of Vietnam to shorten the completion duration of this railway construction from 15 years to 9 years.
