Ha NoiThe Ministry of Transport proposes that the 350 km/h high-speed railway be used to carry passengers and transport goods when needed, while the existing line will be converted to transporting goods.
The information was stated in the second meeting of the Steering Committee for construction and implementation of the high-speed railway investment policy project on the North - South axis and important national railway projects on the morning of March 26, chaired by Deputy Deputy Chief of Staff. Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha presided.
Mr. Vuong Dinh Khanh, former Deputy General Director of Vietnam Railway Corporation, proposed carefully calculating the plan to make the entire existing railway line only serve freight trains.
The above proposal has been discussed at many meetings. In November 11, the Ministry of Transport asked for opinions from ministries and branches on three North-South high-speed railway scenarios. There are two scenarios with a design speed of 2023 km/h, one scenario is 350-200 km/h. Currently, no script has been finalized.
"In the world today, there is no high-speed railway with a design speed of 350 km/h that can transport a mixture of passengers and goods," the Ministry of Planning and Investment once commented.
Three high-speed rail scenarios. Graphics: Dang Hieu
Regarding economic efficiency, the Ministry of Transport, the General Statistics Office and the Ministry of Planning and Investment recently assessed that the North-South High-Speed Railway Project can contribute about 1 percentage point to GDP growth per year. years in the period 2025-2037.
According to former Deputy Minister of Transport La Ngoc Khue, in addition to the goal of transporting passengers, the high-speed railway must increase its market share of long-distance freight transport and "connect with international railway routes". This will reduce logistics costs - the intermediary stage of bringing goods.
Although inland waterway and sea transport have cost advantages, the time is long and loading and unloading are many times. Therefore, this is a great opportunity for the railway industry to increase its market share in long-distance freight transport, creating competitiveness for the economy, Mr. Khue analyzed.
Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Danh Huy said that the important national railway project has a large scale, complex technical standards, and passes through many localities, so it needs to be considered carefully. Furthermore, railway projects bring great economic efficiency but project financial efficiency is not high. Therefore, he suggested that the state budget should play a leading role and prioritize allocating resources for investment.
Listening to opinions, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha concluded that an industrialized and modernized country needs to develop high-speed railways to reduce logistics costs and improve the competitiveness of the economy.
The Deputy Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Transport to receive, explain and clarify opinions. Since then, the Ministry has completed the investment plan for high-speed railway lines to ensure synchronization and unification of regulations and standards from design, infrastructure, vehicles, information systems, and operations.
"It is necessary to retain iconic central stations in large urban areas, and at the same time ensure safe corridors by combining with elevated and underground routes," the Deputy Prime Minister noted and requested the Ministry Transport learns about the experience of operating high-speed railways combining passenger and freight transport around the world. The Ministry also needs to clarify plans for capital mobilization, investment phasing, and organizational model for management and operation.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha at the meeting. Image: VGP
Previously, the Politburo's conclusion set a target of completing the approval of the investment policy for the North-South high-speed railway project by 2025 and starting construction before 2030. Hanoi - Vinh high-speed railway sections and Ho Chi Minh City - Nha Trang are given priority to start construction in the period 2026-2030; strive to complete the entire North-South high-speed railway before 2045.
