The Ministry of Transport (MOT) has been tasked with submitting the draft Government Resolution on the implementation of the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis in January 2025.
New directives from government leaders regarding the North-South high-speed railway.
The Ministry of Transport (MOT) has been tasked with submitting the draft Government Resolution on the implementation of the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis in January 2025.
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This is one of the directives of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha – Head of the Steering Committee – in Notice No. 07/TB – VPCP regarding the third meeting of the Steering Committee for the construction and implementation of the investment plan for the high-speed railway on the North-South axis and other nationally important railway projects.
The investment policy was decided by the National Assembly in Resolution No. 172/2024/QH15 dated November 30, 2024.
This project, whose investment policy was decided by the National Assembly in Resolution No. 172/2024/QH15 dated November 30, 2024, is large-scale, stretching from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City (through 20 provinces and cities), requiring high-tech and modern technology, and has a very urgent implementation schedule.
The project's objective is not only to invest in the construction of a high-speed railway line, but also to build and develop the railway industry, and to train human resources with sufficient capacity to design, construct, manage, operate, and exploit a high-speed railway system efficiently and safely.
To implement Resolution No. 172/2024/HQ15, the Deputy Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Transport to urgently coordinate with ministries, sectors, and localities to draft a Government Resolution, to be submitted to the Prime Minister in January 2025 (the Ministry of Transport should seek opinions from members of the Steering Committee before submission).
This includes developing a detailed plan and schedule outlining the main procedures and tasks to be performed (from the feasibility study report to the commencement of construction) and a comprehensive, scientifically sound, synchronized, and feasible overall plan for project operation and exploitation. Simultaneously, it must adhere closely to the objectives and requirements of the Resolution to determine the methods of implementation, specifying the tasks and responsibilities of ministries, sectors, and localities in implementing the special mechanisms approved by the National Assembly (clearly defining the form of the document, the authority to issue it, the lead agency, and the timeframe for submission and issuance).
For certain priority tasks requiring immediate implementation, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha instructed the Ministry of Transport to take the lead in coordinating with relevant ministries and agencies to urgently review and finalize the system of technical standards and regulations for high-speed railways; and to review and determine the training needs of human resources (quantity, training specialties, training levels, training duration, etc.).
The Ministry of Transport is tasked with leading and coordinating with the Ministry of Education and Training to implement training programs commissioned by the Government. This includes researching training models and methods (domestic and foreign universities and/or partnerships with businesses and contractors); identifying the list of railway industrial services and goods to be commissioned; researching and selecting domestic enterprises with the capacity and experience to cooperate and transfer technology, gradually increasing the localization rate (construction, signaling systems, etc.); and establishing appropriate contractor selection mechanisms (bidding, direct contracting, or contractor selection in special cases, etc.).
The Ministry of Transport must urgently improve the model of the Railway Project Management Board to meet the requirements of the task; coordinate with the State Capital Management Committee at enterprises to restructure the Vietnam Railway Corporation to proactively advise and coordinate handling from the investment preparation phase of the Project as well as taking over management, operation and exploitation after the Project is completed.
The Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Construction to take the lead in guiding regulations on the content and requirements of the overall technical design (FEED design) instead of the basic design; guiding the preparation, appraisal, and approval of tasks and cost estimates for packages related to survey work, preparation, and verification of the Feasibility Study Report (according to the FEED design); guiding the application and use of construction norms, unit prices, construction costs, and the use of investment capital rates from similar railway projects to determine the total investment cost of the project; and guiding the application of the International Federation of Consulting Organizations' contract model (FIDIC contract) to implement the packages under the Project.
The Ministry of Planning and Investment is tasked with advising on the establishment of the State Appraisal Council; coordinating with the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Construction to select a consulting firm to conduct verification and appraisal concurrently with the process of preparing and finalizing the Feasibility Study Report.
The Ministry of Finance is tasked with coordinating with the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Planning and Investment to study options for mobilizing investment capital to implement the Project. This includes clearly identifying capital needs, capital plans, and types of funding sources (state budget, government bonds, ODA, land revenue, social mobilization, etc.) in order to develop appropriate capital allocation plans.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is responsible for advising on matters related to compensation, support, and resettlement for land areas used for the Project, land in the vicinity of railway stations to create land for urban and rural development along the transportation route (TOD), resettlement land, and land in mining areas for common construction materials, etc.
The Deputy Prime Minister instructed the Vietnam Railways Corporation to proactively research and propose restructuring plans and the possibility of participating in all stages from construction, investment, production, operation, maintenance, etc., in accordance with its capabilities.
According to Resolution No. 172/2024/QH15, the North-South high-speed railway project has a total length of approximately 1,541 km; starting at Ngoc Hoi station (Hanoi), ending at Thu Thiem station (Ho Chi Minh City), passing through the territory of 20 provinces and centrally-governed cities including: Hanoi, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Dong Nai, and Ho Chi Minh City.
The project will involve new investment in a double-track railway line with a 1,435 mm gauge, a design speed of 350 km/h, and a load capacity of 22.5 tons per axle; 23 passenger stations, 5 freight stations; vehicles and equipment; and a high-speed railway for passenger transport, meeting dual-use requirements for national defense and security, and capable of transporting goods when necessary.
The preliminary total investment for the Project is VND 1,713,548 billion, sourced from the state budget allocated in medium-term public investment plans and other legitimate sources of funding.
The National Assembly has assigned the preparation of a feasibility study report starting in 2025, with the goal of essentially completing the project by 2035.
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