The Dong Dang Customs check goods before a train leaves Dong Dang Railway Station in the northern mountainous province of Lang Son. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - A total of 16,377ha of land will be used for railway projects in the period through 2030, an increase of 5,644ha compared to today.

The amount of land is expected to rise to 25,836ha by 2050.

It is part of the railway network plans which were signed on April 17 by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha.

Through 2025, the country will allocate 15.9 trillion VND (678.1 million USD) from the public investment fund for the railway sector to upgrade infrastructure, widen the system and start projects for new routes.

In the 2026-30 period, about 224 trillion VND (9.5 billion USD) from the central and local budgets and other legal capital for investment will be spent to maintain and develop the railway system and infrastructure.

Also under the plans, detailed railway lines and station schemes will be set up, including main routes in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assigned the Ministry of Transport (MoT) to be responsible for reviewing railway station lines to include in the sector's specialised master plans.

As for the existing railways, the MoT will continue to renovate and upgrade sections and stations and implement projects to ensure traffic safety following the Prime Minister's Decision No 358/QD-TTg issued on March 10, 2020.

For railway routes where investment capital has not been identified, the MoT will make a list to call for investment.

Projects expected to be invested in the period 2026-30 or after 2030, if the MoT can find investment, should be reported to the PM for approval.

With new railway routes, the MoT continues to prepare for a north-south high-speed railway project, with an investment policy approved by 2025.

The project will include routes of Bien Hoa-Vung Tau, Cai Mep-Thi Vai, Thu Thiem -Long Thanh International Airport, Hanoi-Hai Phong connecting with Lach Huyen International Seaport, and the Yen Vien, Pha Lai-Ha Long-Cai La railway line.

For railways in Hanoi, the MoT handed over the project of Hanoi urban railway with section Yen Vien-Ngoc Hoi to the municipal people’s committee to continue researching and investing.

As for railway lines connecting localities with the national railway, provinces and cities will invest depending on their transport needs and ability to attract investment.