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Sep 22, 2017 / 14:22

Hanoi master plan: the existing station is centerpiece

In recent days, there has been controversies around the proposal of Hanoi station master plan and the surrounding areas.

As such, experts said, it is necessary to be clear whether the existing Hanoi station will be demolished and putting the local citizens to the suburbs. 
 
Hanoi station.
Hanoi station.
The Head of the Hanoi master plan and the surrounding areas, Ryosvke Kimura said: “The current Hanoi station located at the three-way crossroad of Le Duan – Tran Hung Dao streets, which has been in the memory of Hanoians for generations. The proposal and related documents both mention the station will not be demolished, but recovered and turned into a tourist attraction of the city”. With this being said, in the proposal, Tran Hung Dao street will be extended to the west to connect with Quoc Tu Giam street. However, for the priority of Hanoi station preservation, Tran Hung Dao street will not be extended to prevent any impact to the existing station. However, in the future, Hanoi station will have to connect with urban railways and the public transport network, so that this infrastructure will have to be expanded to become a major transport hub of the capital city. Therefore, it is necessary to build a new modern station with appropriate scale alongside the existing station. With the current Hanoi station, after completing the recovery process, it will be preserved and served as a museum for a period of the past”. This new function will help turn the current Hanoi station into a tourist attraction for local and foreign tourists.

Another question received attention from the local community around Hanoi station is how their lives affected by the proposal. With the large scale of the proposal it would be very difficult for everyone to understand in short time, so they are concerned over the possibility of being moved away. And the answer lays right in the proposal being sought for opinions of ministries and agencies by Hanoi authorities.

According to survey, total area under master plan is 981,693.5m2 with population of 37,000. Meanwhile, the master plan of Hanoi station and the surrounding areas will ensure to have sufficient area and infrastructure for the living of 44,000 people (an increase of 18%). Therefore, if the proposal is realized, no one will have to move away. Or in other way of saying, 100% residents will be resettled at site. Mrs. Dinh Minh Tien (Tran Quy Cap street): ”if it is true, then it is both win win situation for the city and citizens, and we are supportive to the proposal”.

In reality, not only Hanoi but also major cities in the world also have similar planning, such as Tokyo and Seoul. Another important thing is after being planned and recovered, the land value in these areas will be more than double. 

Ryosvke Kimura added, the main objective of the proposal is to turn this area in to a commercial and economic center of Hanoi, which focuses on services and businesses. As such, Hanoi station will become a major transport hub, which is the focal point of all routes within Hanoi and inter provincial routes. Transport expert Dang Chi Nga said: “Main station is where citizens concentrate, creating jobs not only in the local area but also from other coming here. If the recover process can turn this area into an economic center, there will be more opportunities for others”. In the proposal it is calculated that, the area will have jobs for 36,000 people, creating a driving force for the economic development of Hanoi.

Many experts and citizens expressed concerns that transport infrastructure will not meet the public demand after recovery. However, the proposal has specified clearly, land for housing is 16.36% (including newly built and existing building); mixed use for commercial and offices: 17.11%. Moreover, 33.82% area is for transport and technical infrastructures; 13.34% area for lake and green trees. The remaining areas are for schools, health services, religious building and administrative offices.