The project of constructing the first urban railway route section Ngoc Hoi – Yen Vien of Hanoi city was approved by the Prime Minister in 2004. The project was then approved by the Ministry of Transport in 2008 for phase I and adjusted in 2017. Accordingly, the Ngoc Hoi depot complex is part of the project’s phase one.
Within the first phase of the project, the construction of the Ngoc Hoi – Yen Vien urban railway route section will focus on the construction of the Ngoc Hoi Depot Complex. The purpose is to replace the functions of the current Hanoi Railway Station and Giap Bat Station, and to invest in functional areas for future railway routes. The total project investment is estimated at over VND 19,000 billion, using both Japanese ODA and domestic capital.
However, the Ngoc Hoi Depot project was affected and delayed due to site clearance, compensation, resettlement support, and capital disbursement being slower than planned.
According to the plan, the Ngoc Hoi Depot Complex will be built on an area of approximately 1.5 km2 out of a total planned area of 1.7 km2. The remaining area will be used for railway and connecting roads.
Within the area designated for the depot complex, the land for the construction of functional areas is approximately 0.95 km2. The main components include: construction of functional areas for urban railway management units, locomotive management units, freight wagon management units, part of the freight depot, and urban railway infrastructure maintenance units. This photo shows a perspective of the Ngoc Hoi Depot Complex.
The Ngoc Hoi Depot Complex will be located in the administrative boundaries of Vinh Quynh, Ngoc Hoi and Lien Ninh communes of Thanh Tri district and Duyen Thai commune of Thuong Tin district.
The Ngoc Hoi Depot Complex will be bordered by the Ngoc Hoi industrial cluster to the east, the urban development area to the west, the planned Ring Road 3.5 to the north, and Ta Thanh Oai – Dai Ang – Lien Ninh road to the south. The photo shows the intersection with the depot complex in the south.
Currently, a large part of the land is rice fields, which are still used for grazing buffaloes and cows by some households.
At present, the Ngoc Hoi Railway Depot Complex has completed site clearance for approximately 1.3/1.7 km2 of land, with a total disbursement value of nearly VND 1,100 billion.
Upon completion and commissioning, the Ngoc Hoi Depot Complex will serve as a stop for regular national railway lines (the existing North – South railway and the future East and West Ring railways) and urban railway lines (Yen Vien – Ngoc Hoi; Noi Bai – Ngoc Hoi, etc.). In addition, in October 2023, the Ministry of Transport announced that it is currently developing a detailed plan for the Hanoi metropolitan area railway (a technical and specialized plan), which includes the Ngoc Hoi depot complex with the added function of integrating high-speed rail transport on the North-South axis.
The project to build the first urban railway line section Ngoc Hoi – Yen Vien of Hanoi city was initially intended to be a radial railway line, fulfilling the functions of both a national railway and an urban railway.
The project was approved by the Prime Minister in 2004. It was then approved by the Ministry of Transport for phase I in 2008 and adjusted in 2017, as mentioned above.
However, the Ministry of Transport announced that in implementing the 2017 Planning Law, the ministry organized the development of a railway network plan for the period 2021 – 2030, with a vision to 2050, which was approved by the Prime Minister. Accordingly, the national railway through Hanoi will follow the Eastern Ring (Ngoc Hoi – Lac Dao – Bac Hong – Thach Loi) and Western Ring (Ngoc Hoi – Thach Loi) routes, and will not enter the center of Hanoi.
Along with the Ngoc Hoi – Yen Vien section, the Gia Lam – Lac Dao section will be converted into an urban railway after the Eastern Ring line (Ngoc Hoi – Lac Dao – Bac Hong – Thach Loi) is put into operation. At the same time, the People’s Committee of Hanoi City will be responsible for studying and investing in the No. 1 urban railway line from Yen Vien to Ngoc Hoi.
