France shares its experience in investing in and operating railways.

Today (January 14th), the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport, in collaboration with the French Development Agency (AFD) and the French National Railways Group (SNCF), organized a workshop to share experiences in the railway sector in France. Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Danh Huy chaired the workshop.

Sharing experiences in technology selection and transportation operations is a practical and meaningful starting point within the framework of implementing the Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of transportation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport and the French Development Agency. The Memorandum was signed in October 2024 during the state visit of General Secretary To Lam to the Republic of France, aiming to establish a coordination mechanism, facilitate and enhance cooperation between the parties in the transportation sector, with railway transportation being one of the main pillars of cooperation between the two sides.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Danh Huy emphasized that the knowledge and experience of French railways in railway investment and development will be very useful for Vietnamese railways (Photo: Ta Hai).

Speaking at the workshop, Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy emphasized the increasingly developing cooperative relationship between Vietnam and France in the field of transportation. In particular, the Memorandum of Cooperation is a new step forward, promoting bilateral cooperation. "Specifically in the railway sector, the experience in railway investment and development in France, Europe, and around the world shared by the French National Railways Group (SNCF) and the French Development Agency is extremely useful. Through this, Vietnamese state management agencies, consulting firms, businesses, and universities will learn, refer to, and apply it to practice in Vietnam," Deputy Minister Huy said, expressing hope that the two sides will continue to have beneficial cooperation activities like this workshop. On behalf of SNCF, Mr. Diego Diaz, Director of the International Division of the French National Railways Group (SNCF) and Chairman of its subsidiary SNCF International, expressed SNCF's honor to share its experience with Vietnam's railways, demonstrating the trust of the Vietnamese Government and the Ministry of Transport in SNCF.

Mr. Diego Diaz, Director of the International Division of the French National Railways Group (SNCF), expressed his honor to share his experience with Vietnam on railway development (Photo: Ta Hai).

"The railway sector is not just our profession, but also our passion. We hope that our sharing will lead to solutions for safe passenger transport, making train travel a significant life experience. This will contribute to the development of railway transport, thereby making a substantial contribution to the goal of reducing carbon emissions and strengthening bilateral cooperation," emphasized Mr. Diego Diaz. At the workshop, which lasted approximately 1.5 days, SNCF shared three topics: "Region, population, and factors determining transport service provision and business strategy"; "Effective management in passenger and freight transport operations"; and "Fundamental principles of safety and technology selection." A comprehensive approach is needed before choosing a type of railway investment. Sharing experiences in railway investment and development in France and other developed countries, Pierre Messulam, former Director of SNCF and founding chairman of Sémaphore SAS Consulting Company, emphasized that railways are a type of surface transport that occupies five times less space than roads and consumes the least energy, saving 5-10 times more than other modes of transport.

Mr. Pierre Messulam, former Director of SNCF, shared his insights on factors to consider when investing in railways (Photo: Ta Hai).

When considering railway investment scenarios, it can be seen that for passenger transport: High-speed rail is recommended when aiming to accelerate trade between major economic centers while limiting air travel and promoting tourism; inter-provincial rail is recommended when developing connections between major cities 50km to 250km apart and limiting road transport; mass transit is recommended when transporting 100,000 to 2,000,000 passengers per day on a single route to meet the needs of work/residence, school/training; and regional rail is recommended when serving semi-urban or rural areas with high passenger volume. For freight transport, rail is an irreplaceable mode of transport for all types of heavy goods that waterways cannot handle, and for all types of very large-volume goods such as: solid bulk goods like minerals, coal, construction materials, agricultural products (grains/rice, fertilizers); liquid bulk goods like oil, gas, and chemical products; and containers. However, according to Mr. Pierre Messulam, investment in new railway lines needs to be based on identifying needs, taking into account demographic, geographical, and climatic characteristics. Population, population density, and population distribution are crucial factors, along with economic development, education, travel distance, and ticket prices, which significantly impact investment efficiency. Geographical and climatic factors, especially environmental protection and sustainability, will greatly influence technical, technological, and safety aspects, thereby affecting costs. In particular, attention should be paid to the issue of connectivity between high-speed rail and other modes of transport, including traditional railways and urban rail in terms of passenger and freight collection and distribution. All these issues are crucial factors when selecting and determining the technology for a future railway line. According to the experience-sharing program to support the development of Vietnam's railways, after the workshop, the French delegation will continue working with Vietnamese agencies and businesses on the North-South High-Speed ​​Rail Project; on the current state of Vietnam's railway infrastructure and railway business organization; and discuss plans for implementing the technical assistance project for the Hanoi-Hai Phong railway line…

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/phap-chia-se-kinh-nghiem-dau-tu-khai-thac-duong-sat-192250114155829985.htm