Da Nang has started a pre-feasibility study to relocate the city’s railway station and redevelop associated urban areas with a project at a total cost of 15.44 VND trillion (US$683.2 million).

The present railway station — VNS Photo Cong Thanh

Municipal People’s Committee Chairman Huynh Duc Tho announced the plan after a meeting with relevant local agencies and representatives of the World Bank and Asia Development Bank (ADB).

Chairman Tho said that the project would be a crucial part of dealing with the city’s traffic congestion and act as a face-lift for the city’s future.

As scheduled, the new railway station will be built in Lien Chieu District on a space of 43.1ha, with a new 18.21km rail line and an improvement of 7km of old track, as well as a new 80.1ha cargo station on the site of the current Kim Lien station.

The removal project also covers an upgraded Le Trach Cargo Station on 9.6ha, a new bridge for trains spanning the Cu De River, and a 5-lane fly-over bridge at the road-railway crossing.

The railway station removal, which costs nearly 5.8 trillion VND ($257 million), has been included in the city’s master plan for 2030 with a vision toward 2050.

The city is also planning an urban redevelopment project with synchronised public transport routes connecting to the new railway station, with total investment of 9.677 trillion VND ($428.2 million).

As planned, the new railway station will help link the key north-south railway system with the Da Nang-Quang Ngai Expressway, which is now under construction, the East-West Economic Corridor and Viet Nam-trans road transport – the National Highway No 1 – and new Lien Chieu deep sea cargo port.

The station, which was built in 1902 in the city’s downtown Hai Phong Street, was not able to handle the rising number of train passengers travelling to the city.

Around 20 trains arrive, depart and pass through the station daily, carrying about 75,000 people to the city.

The city, situated at the end of the East-West Economic Corridor, which links Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Viet Nam, plays an important role as a logistical centre for the coastal central region and highlands.

The railway removal project is part of a strategy to develop Da Nang into a green city by 2025, and an economic hub and driving force for boosting the progress of the central region and highlands.

Under the adjustment plan, the city will develop public transport with 15 bus routes, 8 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes and 3 metro routes, which aim to reduce carbon emissions, as well as address overcrowding and traffic congestion.

Last year, the national government has recently approved special mechanisms for Da Nang concerning investment, finance, budgetary status and decentralisation.

(Source: VNS/ Da Nang Today)