Race against time to start construction of North high-speed railway.

To begin construction on the North-South high-speed railway project in 2027, much work remains to be done, from investment procedures and establishing a management model to securing human resources. All of these tasks need to be implemented diligently to ensure progress and quality.

Prioritize your choice of consultant.

In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), at the Railway Project Management Board headquarters, the lights remained on in the offices until late at night. Taking a Tet holiday break was something no official or specialist dared to think about.

The North-South high-speed railway project aims for basic completion by 2035. (Illustrative image: AI)

"The project has received investment approval from the National Assembly, and everyone is now preparing for the next stages of work, simultaneously with the investment preparation for the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway project, which also has a very tight start date," shared Mr. Chu Van Tuan, Deputy Director of the Railway Project Management Board.

According to Mr. Tuan, the Ministry of Transport is drafting a resolution to direct ministries, sectors, and localities to implement tasks, especially policies related to mobilizing investment resources and shortening project timelines.

Initially, priority will be given to organizing the selection of consultants to support project management and to conduct surveys and prepare feasibility studies.

The Ministry of Transport will also work with local authorities to conduct a detailed review of the route, stations, and preliminary land clearance scope so that local authorities can proactively build resettlement areas and accelerate the land clearance process.

A clean site is a prerequisite.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Tran Chung, former Director of the State Inspection Department for Construction Quality ( Ministry of Construction ), the investment policy for the project has been approved, and the immediate task is to prepare a feasibility study report and establish the overall technical design (FEED).

To ensure accurate FEED design, based on the preliminary route plan in the pre-feasibility report, the consultant needs to conduct a detailed survey of the engineering geology and hydrology conditions. Without a thorough survey, unfavorable factors during construction that require route adjustments will be very complicated.

Furthermore, land clearance is the next task that needs special attention. This has been one of the biggest obstacles for transportation projects in recent years.

In addition to land compensation, many new conflicts may arise during implementation: resettlement policies, discrepancies in compensation prices between localities/regions; conversion of forests and forest land. Not to mention, projects requiring a clear construction site need to relocate a large amount of technical infrastructure.

Considering this is a particularly large project, selecting experienced foreign consultants to prepare the feasibility study report is necessary. However, Mr. Chung also noted that for the design process to be successful, the participation of domestic consulting firms is essential.

Vietnamese engineers will be the ones who best understand the specifics of engineering geology and hydrology. In the feasibility study phase, foreign consultants should play the role of overall commander, organizing the work. The implementation phase should be carried out by Vietnamese consulting firms.

If necessary, the competent authority should consider appointing strong Vietnamese consulting firms to participate in project preparation in conjunction with international consultants.

Elevating project management

Emphasizing that project management is the key factor determining the success or failure of the project, Mr. Chung stated that the biggest challenge is the relatively short implementation time. Without general managers possessing scientific site organization skills, understanding the specific characteristics of the construction area, and selecting appropriate timelines for each work item, it will be very difficult to meet the set schedule.

"Upgrading the project management team is something that needs to be considered soon," Mr. Chung said, arguing that the project management team acts like a chief engineer, understanding all aspects of the work. In the context of project managers learning and accumulating "real-world" experience, hiring foreign experts is necessary.

In fact, in Vietnam, some large enterprises such as Conteccons have hired experienced experts to supervise the construction of the Landmark 81 project; Deo Ca has hired foreign experts to advise on the construction of large tunnels through mountains. These projects, led by Vietnamese enterprises, have been completed and highly appreciated by the investors.

The need to reorganize the project management system was also raised by Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, former Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly's Economic Committee, regarding the project's implementation.

"Another question that needs to be asked is: Who is the investor for the project? For road projects, the investor is assigned to the road project management boards. But high-speed rail is a unified, centralized project, especially in terms of infrastructure and signaling, and cannot be divided into separate projects like road projects."

"Is the project management board under the Ministry of Transport capable of acting as the investor? The project management model needs thorough research," Mr. Phuc stated.

Human resources are a core element.

Regarding human resources, Mr. Phuc stated that the overarching challenge currently is the need to quickly secure a skilled workforce in all areas. A design speed of 350 km/h will demand very high technological standards. Safety is paramount, so quality must also be top priority, from the construction to the personnel involved.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Hien, Deputy Director of the Institute of Transport Strategy and Development (Ministry of Transport), preliminary calculations show that the 10-year construction phase will require more than 200,000 workers of various skill levels.

The immediate priority is to select at least 300-500 young, highly qualified professionals from state administrative agencies to send abroad for training in all positions and specialties.

In 2025, at least 50 officials must be sent for training. By the time the feasibility study report is approved, approximately 500 trained officials will be needed to participate in the management, evaluation, and approval of the project.

With the current workforce, the labor market already has trained personnel who can adequately supply the job market for surveying, designing, and constructing the under-rail construction phase. However, personnel for the design, construction, and operation of railway tracks require specialized skills and high qualifications. Currently, some schools in Vietnam provide basic training that can meet this need. Nevertheless, training needs to be further standardized and made more specialized.

"Based on global experience, countries prepare their human resources very early, as soon as they identify the technology and the main contractor, so they can go to the technology transfer country to learn," Ms. Hien said, adding that establishing a specialized center for high-speed rail is also a necessary step.

According to Mr. Pham Huu Son, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Transport Engineering Design Consulting Corporation (TEDI), after the National Assembly decides on the investment policy and the Government issues a resolution for implementation, the project is expected to be implemented in 3 phases.

Phase 1 involves preparing the feasibility study (FS) and the overall engineering design for the EPC general contractor tender documents (FEED). This phase will be implemented between 2025 and 2027.

Phase 2 involves construction and equipment procurement (from 2027 to 2035).

Phase 3 involves trial operation and commercial exploitation (2036).

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/chay-dua-khoi-cong-duong-sat-toc-do-cao-bac-nam-192250121092959944.htm