Hanoi (VNA) – The upgrades to 44 bridges on the North-South railway route have been completed 8 months ahead of schedule, according to the Railway Project Management Unit under the Ministry of Transport on January 14.
The project on enhancing railway bridge safety on the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City route was carried out at a cost of nearly 9.3 trillion VND (414.46 million USD) using Official Development Assistance (ODA) credit through the Japan International Cooperation Agency and counterpart capital of the Vietnamese Government.
Besides upgrading the bridges with a combined length of 6,553 metres and more than 45km of railway at two ends of the rail bridges, the project also built rail road over bridges and under bridges, a new railway station in Ninh Binh province and procuring equipment.
The project was carried out from 2010 to 2015. The Ba Bau bridge in the central province of Quang Nam was the first to be completed under the project, and the Thap Cham bridge in the central province of Ninh Thuan was the last, which was put into operation in December 25 last year.
The facilities are expected to enhance the safety and shorten the travel time for trains on the route while ensure safety for residents living along the railways.-VNA