Feedback on the North-South Express Railway Investment Project

President of VUSTA Mr.PhanXuanDung

The event was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Transport, as well as leading experts in the fields of transportation, construction, architecture, and urban planning …

In his opening speech at the workshop, the President Phan Xuan Dung said that the Vietnamese railway sector has a history spanning over 140 years. There have been periods when Vietnam's railway system led the Southeast Asian region and played a crucial role in the socio-economic development as well as national defense and security of the country.

Currently, the railway sector is lagging behind other transportation modes. The investment in the railway sector over the past decades has accounted for only about 3% of the total investment from the central budget allocated for transportation infrastructure. The market share of railway transportation is merely 1.02% for passenger transport and 0.94% for freight transport. This imbalance in investment and market share distribution among transportation methods reflects a serious discrepancy. This imbalance has negatively impacted various aspects of the economy and society.

From 2010 to the present, the Ministry of Transport has continued to conduct in-depth and comprehensive research to propose solutions to the lingering concerns of the National Assembly. The research involves careful and thorough evaluations, addressing the complexity of technical standards, technology, challenges in mobilizing investment capital, and the impact of projects on the socio-economic development of the country, among many other issues.

In the current context, the task of investing in the construction of the North-South express railway system continues to be emphasized to provide new impetus for economic development and modernization of the railway industry. The Politburo has issued Conclusion No. 49-KL/TW on the direction for the development of Vietnam's railway transportation until 2030, with a vision to 2045. It outlines that "Railway transportation plays a leading role in the North-South economic corridor". The objective is to complete the approval of the investment policy for the North-South express railway project by 2025, commencing priority sections during the 2026-2030 period, and completing the entire North-South express railway line by 2045. In fulfillment of the assigned task, the Party Central Committee of the Ministry of Transport has drafted the investment proposal for the North-South express railway project for review and approval by the Politburo.

Carrying out the concultancy and social evaluation functions mandated by the Prime Minister and in accordance with the Ministry of Transport's requirements, VUSTA (Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations) is organizing a workshop to gather opinions from experts, scientists, managers, and provide additional scientific and practical bases to advise the Party and the State on the draft project, said Mr. Phan Xuan Dung, President of VUSTA.

The workshop co-chaired by VUSTA President Phan Xuan Dung and Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Danh Huy

Giving speech at the workshop, Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy expressed gratitude to the scientists affiliated with the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations for their contributions of effort and intellect to the transportation sector over the years.

In 2010, the proposal for investing in the construction of the North-South express railway system was presented to the National Assembly for consideration but was not approved due to various concerns about speed, operation plans, and investment resources in the economic context of the modest scale at that time. It must be noted that this is a challenging project, unprecedented in its nature. Over the past decade, there have been 28 meetings and workshops to gather opinions for the project. Although the current project has been adjusted to better fit the 2019 version, there are still diverse opinions on technology, infrastructure, functionality, speed, contractor selection, etc. Therefore, the Ministry of Transport earnestly wishes to listen to the contributions of scientists from the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations to gradually optimize the project before submitting it to the Government and the National Assembly for review and approval.

At the workshop, participants passionately expressed their opinions on the project. Overall, the opinions at the seminar were in agreement with the draft proposal for the investment plan of the express railway along the North-South axis. However, it was suggested that the drafting committee needs to make additional amendments and adjustments to perfect the proposal before submitting it to the competent authorities for approval.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Danh Huy

Architect Dao Ngoc Nghiem - an expert in architecture and urban planning

Associate Professor, Senior Researcher in Transportation, Doan Minh Tam

Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Environmental and Economic Association Nguyen The Chinh