Executives from China Railways have met with Vietnamese officials to express interest in joining a $1.1bn project to restore a railway built by the French colonial government in the early 20th century, news site Tuio Tre reports.

The line connected two provinces in Vietnam’s south-central highlands. Its termini were Da Lat, the capital of Lam Dong Province, and Phan Rang, the capital of Ninh Thuan.

Guan Huapinh, a representative from China Railway No 2 Group, met with officials from the provincial government of Lam Dong. He introduced several international projects his company had worked on and reaffirmed its desire to collaborate on this one.

“We hope Lam Dong will provide information on the planning related to the railway. After that, we will prepare a feasibility report and outline the next steps for implementation,” Guan said after the meeting.

Tran Hong Thai, chairman of the Lam Dong People’s Committee, said the province welcomed the interest from China Railways.

The 84km railway was built by the French between 1908 and 1932, and had nine stations, five tunnels and two major bridges.

Some 16km of the line ran on cogwheel tracks to climb gradients of up to 12%.

Most of the railway had been dismantled by the 1980s, with the exception of a 6.7km length near Da Lat that was kept running for tourists.

In 2022, the Ministry of Transport approved a $1.1bn proposal to restore the railway under a public–private partnership. The Vietnamese prime minister later incorporated the project into the national railway network plan through 2050.

During the meeting, China Railway No. 2 Group also expressed interest in participating in the Lien Khuong Airport runway expansion project in Lam Dong Province.