Building the North-South high-speed railway: Issues to consider

Comments from experts and readers on preparing for self-sufficient investment sources for the North-South high-speed railway.

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As reported by Tuoi Tre Online , at the information session of the Ministry of Transport for press agencies about the investment policy of the high-speed railway project   On the North-South axis on the afternoon of October 1, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Danh Huy said that with the spirit of independence, self-reliance, self-reliance and self-reliance, the Politburo has decided to invest in the North-South high-speed railway project without depending on foreign countries. It is expected to invest in a high-speed railway line with a design speed of 350km/h; length of about 1,541km; double track with a total investment of about 67.34 billion USD.

Use of capital

Dr. Huynh The Du (Fulbright University Vietnam) analyzed from the economic and development perspective that investment capital from all sources has the same impact and role because this is a resource that the entire economy can mobilize. The problem is how to use the capital, if the overall net benefit for the entire economy is positive, then it should be done. On the contrary, if it is negative (costs are higher than benefits), then it needs to be considered. In fact, the burden of public debt is not a concern in this situation, but the issue is the effectiveness of the project that needs to be clarified further to have a suitable preparation plan. "Regarding the expected ticket price for the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route, a first-class ticket is about 6.9 million VND; a second-class ticket is 2.9 million VND and a third-class ticket is 1.7 million VND. Many people question whether this ticket price is competitive enough with other means of transport such as passenger cars (short-haul), airplanes (long-haul)? That is the challenge. The analysis results show that those who want to save money and have more time will choose passenger cars. On the contrary, they will choose airplanes because with the above price, it is difficult to compete with other means of transport," Dr. Du shared. Vietnam needs to pay attention to two issues in the process of implementing the North - South high-speed railway project. First, we must ensure reasonable costs with the highest possible quality. Regarding the technology and capacity of international contractors, it is possible to build a high-speed railway with high quality, speed and reasonable price. However, from the Vietnamese side, strict management and supervision are needed. Second, the issue of effectively exploiting the development of surrounding areas, convenient connection to traffic hubs and stations should also be focused on investment from now on.

Exploiting surrounding land to create capital

On Tuoi Tre Online , many readers expressed their support for the North-South high-speed railway to start implementation soon. "So the dream of moving North-South in a day is about to come true," said reader Van Nguyen. Reader Nam Nguyen To argue that in order to ensure the financial plan, our country needs to comply with the principle of land in station areas and along the route near the station (within a minimum radius of 500m from the station boundary and core works belonging to the station, and a radius of 1,000m from the 2nd radius). These areas must be reserved for auction to raise money to invest in building the high-speed railway. At the same time, the Government will speed up the approval of the exact locations and detailed designs of the stations, as well as the complex works around the stations, determine the land areas or works within the scope of auction, and divide them into auction packages to collect money. At each planned construction location, aesthetic conditions and architectural language must be ensured to be suitable for the stations and localities. Reader Vu Binh affirmed that independence and autonomy are the most important things when deciding to invest in this project. "We can choose the option of the state budget investing in the road and some trains running at certain times. The rest mobilizes other economic sectors to participate in investing in trains for exploitation through bidding. This is a big project but the investment period cannot be prolonged. Therefore, no matter what technology option is chosen, the form of investment, the roadmap, and the stages, it is necessary to publicly announce to mobilize all domestic resources to participate, saving foreign currency to the maximum extent for the country," reader Vu Binh shared.

Thu Dung - Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lam-duong-sat-toc-do-cao-bac-nam-nhung-van-de-can-tinh-toan-20241004103731066.htm