Upgrades to the railway through Hi Vân Pass will cost $53.3 million

In response to the effects of Typhoon Sonca in October, Viet Nam Railway Corporation (VNR) has asked the Ministry of Transport to urgently invest VN1.33 trillion (US$53.5 million) to rehabilitate the railway in the Hi Vân Pass area.

As per VNR, the railway infrastructure in the Hi Vân Pass region has degraded due to a lack of investment and regular annual rains, resulting in landslides and a major risk to train operation safety.

Earlier this month, a team from the Ministry of Transport, the Vietnam Railway Administration, and the VNR toured the scene to assess the present state of the railway infrastructure and damages in the Hi Vân Pass area.

The inspection results revealed that there were around 20 places of landslides on the railway segment through the pass, which damaged railway infrastructure and posed a possible risk of unsafe operation if not rectified promptly.

VNR advised that the Ministry of Transport urge the Prime Minister to consider providing roughly VN1.33 trillion ($53.5 million) from the State Budget for train repairs in order to guarantee train safety and operational efficiency.

The rehabilitation work would entail reinforcing talus roofs in areas at risk of landslides (20 positions), as well as upgrading trains and stations totaling 16.31km, 15 bridges totaling 358m, and three tunnels totaling 1.6km.