T&T wants to invest in Ha Noi Railway Station
T&T wants to invest in Ha Noi Railway Station
The T&T Group has requested the transport ministry to allow it to invest in the Ha Noi Railway Station.
The group said it would abide by current regulations and ensure a construction schedule to meet the travel requirements of the local people and tourists.
Ha Noi Railway Station was established in 1902 by the French colonialists. It was rebuilt in 1976 and has become one of the largest train stations of the country.
Earlier, property giant Vingroup offered to buy Ha Noi, Sai Gon and Da Nang railway stations and replace them with modern stations elsewhere in the three cities, to ease pressure on their downtown areas.
The plans by private companies to invest in the railways are in response to the government's policies, which allow various economic sectors to invest in the rail sector to modernise it and ease the burden on public funds.
Transport Minister Dinh La Thang had asked the Vietnam Railway Corporation (VRC) and related entities to plan a road map for selling the operational rights of railway stations, to attract more investors and to issue bids to choose the best offers.
VRC said it had to spend VND7 trillion (US$322.58 million) in the 2011-15 period to upgrade the network and introduce new technologies to manage the operations.
By 2020, an estimated VND2 trillion ($92.2 million) more will be needed for continued implementation of these plans, and VND60 trillion ($2.79 billion) for 12 projects to modernise the main routes.
Earlier this year, the T&T group also requested the ministry to allow it to buy Phu Quoc international airport in the southern province of Kien Giang.
Established in 1993, T&T group operates in the fields of finance, industry, minerals, real estate and export. It has a charter capital of VND2.5 trillion ($115 million).
