Under the detailed planning of the project passed in 2013,the route is designed to have a length of 173.6km with 14 stations, startingfrom the An Binh cargo station in the southern province of Binh Duong’s Di Antown, then the passenger station in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Chanh district, andending in Can Tho’s Cai Rang district.
However, recently the Phuong Nam Science and Technology Institute(PNSTI) submitted to the HCM City People’s Committee and the Ministry ofTransport its final report on adjustments to the project after seven years ofresearch.
Per the report, the rail line will run along the right-sidecorridor of the HCM City-Trung Luong and Trung Luong – My Thuan expressways. Inthe initial plan, it will cross crowded residential areas and industrial parks,which may result in difficult site clearance and higher expenses for compensation.
The adjustment will also shorten the total length of theroute by 5km, saving about 200 million USD in construction costs.
The latest plan sees the 134.9km railway crossing fivelocalities – HCM City, Long An, Tien Giang, Vinh Long and Can Tho. With nineurban stations, it will start from the Tan Kien station in HCM City and end atthe Can Tho station in the city of the same name. In addition, there will be a44km branch route from the Thanh Phu station in Long An province to the HiepPhuoc port and Long An international port.
The maximum speeds for goods and passenger trains on the routewill be 150km and 200km per hour, respectively.
The project has so far attracted investment from 20international sources, including the US, European nations and internationalfinancial organisations.
Currently, it takes up to five hours to go from HCM City toCan Tho by road due to traffic congestion. The high-speed rail line is expectedto reduce the travel time to about 45 minutes.
According to a study from the Japan InternationalCooperation Agency (JICA), the annual volumes of goods and passengerstransported between the Mekong Delta and HCM City will reach 147.5 milliontonnes and 46.5 million passengers in the future./.