Hanoi Station is recommended to receive high-speed train passengers in the future. (Photo: baogiaothong.vn)

Hanoi - A report on the planning of railway routes and stations in Hanoi was published by the Transport Design Consultancy Corporation (TEDI) and the Centre for Transport Development and Investment Consulting (CCTDI).

The consortium proposed that Ngoc Hoi Station will be the southern transfer depot and a place for train storage, maintenance, and repair for Thuong Tin to Ngoc Hoi Stations while the eastern terminal is Lac Dao in neighbouring Hung Yen province.

The northern terminal station, Yen Thuong in Gia Lam district will be added to assume the function of a cargo terminal while Yen Vien Station is a passenger terminal including the transit connection with line 1 of the urban railway, and Bac Hong Station in Dong Anh district will be an intermediate station that will have land set aside for its development.

Hanoi Station will serve passengers of the urban railway and high-speed trains.

The station for the North-South high-speed railway line will be placed in Ngoc Hoi, about 10km from the city’s centre.

On the other hand, the high-speed railway using advanced technology and separate lines, as well as stereoscopic intersections does not conflict with urban transport modes, and thus it won't suffer the same shortcomings as the current radial national railway system.

It is recommended to connect high-speed rail to Hanoi Station.

According to the report, the Hanoi railway network in the future will include all the current radial lines and add two more ring routes of the eastern belt connecting Ngoc Hoi-Lac Dao-Bac Hong-Thach Loi before 2030 and will have a western belt connecting Ngoc Hoi-Thach Loi after 2030.

Besides, a number of new radial railway lines on corridors with high transport demand such as Hanoi-HCM City, Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong, and Hanoi-Lang Son will be built.

Regarding the plan of operating the Hanoi railway, in the first phase, all radial passenger trains are proposed to stop at main stations on the ring routes and transit stations through public transport means such as buses and urban railway. Only high-speed passenger trains approach Hanoi Station.

In the next stages, when satellite cities develop large enough and the demand for transport between satellite cities and the central city increases, there will be more passenger trains connecting suburban to urban areas to serve commuters of employees and students.

Meanwhile, freight trains will organise inter-linear operations via the ring railway. On the ring roads, there will be stations that have both technical functions of train operation and cargo handling to meet local needs.