VNR proposes that the Ministry of Construction continue studying an option to organize the national railway network in a radial pattern, with the national railway system, particularly the high-speed railway, directly connected to central Hanoi.
National railway connected to the metro system
Vietnam National Railways Group (VNR) has recently submitted a document to the Ministry of Construction providing comments on the Planning for Railway Routes and Stations in the Hanoi Railway Hub Area, which is currently being submitted by the Vietnam Railway Authority for appraisal and approval.
Notably, in its latest comments, VNR proposed that the Ministry of Construction continue studying an option to organize the national railway network in a radial pattern, with the national railway system, particularly the high-speed railway, directly connected to central Hanoi and conveniently integrated with the urban railway network.
Under the draft Planning, Ngoc Hoi Station is identified as the southern passenger railway hub, while Gia Lam Station is designated as the northern passenger hub of Hanoi. National railway routes, including the high-speed railway, are expected to provide passenger boarding and alighting services at these two hubs. Passengers traveling to and from central Hanoi would then continue their journeys via the urban railway system.
VNR believes that the network organization plan should continue to be studied and assessed before being finalized. As the enterprise directly responsible for managing and operating the national railway system, the Group said it has participated in the process of studying and finalizing the planning and has repeatedly provided comments to the agency in charge of preparing the planning on options for organizing the railway network in the capital.
Vietnam National Railways Group proposes continuing to study the retention of a radial national railway network integrated with the urban railway network.
VNR's position is that the option of organizing the national railway system in a radial pattern should continue to be considered, allowing national railway routes, including the high-speed railway, to access central Hanoi and connect with the urban railway network.
According to VNR, this option should be considered as part of Hanoi's overall [transport] planning, as the efficiency of a railway network depends not only on the location of individual stations but also on journey times, connectivity between routes and the convenience of transfers between different modes of transport.
VNR stated that national railways, particularly high-speed railways, offer high transport capacity, safety and suitability for medium- and long-distance travel. Therefore, the network should be organized to maximize these transport capabilities while ensuring seamless connectivity with the urban public transport system.
Assessing connectivity and travel demand
One issue highlighted by VNR is that locating passenger hubs at Ngoc Hoi and Gia Lam would increase the need for passengers traveling to and from central Hanoi to transfer between the national railway and urban railway systems. According to the Group, the impact of this arrangement on journey times, accessibility and service quality should be quantified, particularly for interprovincial passengers.
The impact of locating passenger hubs at Ngoc Hoi and Gia Lam should be quantified.
Accordingly, VNR proposed that the planning process should simultaneously assess the operating capacity of railway routes, connectivity between the national and urban railway systems, interregional travel demand and transport organization at the railway hubs.
As a basis for its proposal, VNR cited railway network organization in Berlin, Tokyo and Seoul. In these cities, national railways are organized in a radial pattern, with passenger stations capable of connecting to public transport networks to form an integrated transport system.
In Beijing and Paris, railway networks are organized according to a polycentric model, with national railway stations within urban areas connected to one another. According to VNR, this approach enables national railway routes to be integrated with urban transport networks, improving connectivity and distributing travel demand.
Retaining Hanoi Railway Station as a hub
For Hanoi, maintaining national railway connectivity with the city center has also been studied previously. During the preparation of the Yen Vien–Ngoc Hoi Urban Railway Line No. 1 Project, Japanese consultant JTC studied an option to retain Hanoi Railway Station at its existing location while integrating the operation of national and urban railways.
According to VNR, these previous studies provide a basis for further considering a network organization model that strengthens integration between the national railway system and urban transport.
The Group stated that Hanoi has a large population, high demand for both interregional and intra-city travel, and serves as an important hub of the national railway network. Therefore, the transport organization plan should be assessed across the entire network rather than considering individual routes or stations separately.
On this basis, VNR proposed continuing to study an option for a radial national railway network, under which national railways, particularly the high-speed railway, would be able to access central Hanoi and connect conveniently with urban railways and other forms of public transport.
Previously, in late August 2026, the Vietnam Railway Authority proposed that the Ministry of Construction approve the Planning for Railway Routes and Stations in the Hanoi Railway Hub Area.
Under the proposed plan, Hanoi, Giap Bat and Long Bien stations would no longer be classified as central or main stations. National railway passenger hubs would instead be located at Ngoc Hoi and Gia Lam, while freight hubs north and south of the Red River would respectively be located at Yen Thuong and the new Thuong Tin station.
Regarding passenger transport organization, trains traveling to and from Hanoi would board and alight passengers at Gia Lam and Ngoc Hoi, while passenger flows between the northern and southern provinces would be transferred via the eastern railway ring route and these two hubs.
For freight transport, goods arriving in Hanoi would be handled at the new Thuong Tin and Yen Thuong stations, while north-south freight flows would be transferred via the eastern railway ring route and the designated freight hubs.