HANOI, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam will from now to 2020 consider schemes on constructing a high-speed North-South railway, the Construction Ministry said on Wednesday.

The ministry has been tasked to coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and other relevant agencies to make, appraise and approve pre-feasibility studies of the railway project.

In the short term, the studies will focus on some priority railway sections, including those between Hanoi capital and central Vinh city, and between Ho Chi Minh City and central Nha Trang city, so that their construction can begin first in the 2021-2030 period.

The new railway will allow trains to run at speeds from 160 to below 200 km per hours. In the long term, the railway will be upgraded, so that trains can travel at a speed of 350 km per hour.