National Assembly deputies, when discussing the North-South high-speed railway project on November 13, all expressed support for the project, which is expected to change the quality of the country’s transport.

According to the deputy chair of the National Assembly’s Finance and Budget Committee, Pham Thuy Chinh, many National Assembly deputies expressed regret for not approving the project some years ago. Because of this, Vietnam lost an opportunity to develop the railway industry. Therefore, the project must not be delayed any further.

Specific policy to attract capital

Ha Sy Dong, deputy chair of the Quang Tri People’s Committee, noted that the railway route, with total length of 1,541 kilometers, is a strategic move forward which plays a very important role in the country’s transport infrastructure.

Capitalized at $67 billion, the railway, with designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour, will help change the transport situation, and boost economic growth and international integration.

He suggested there should be a specific policy to call for capital from international investment funds, to access preferential loans, and to issue domestic bonds, with the aim of reducing pressure on the state budget.

It would be better to implement the project in different stages, which allows strict supervision, but also helps allocate resources effectively, suitable to the country’s financial capability in different periods, and avoids waste of resources.

Stressing that technology transfer is indispensable to operate the railway, carry out maintenance and fix problems during operation, Dong said Vietnam needs high-quality workers and cooperation with experienced partners to ensure the smooth operation of the railway.

Dong said that the government needs to think carefully about capital mobilization and public debt risks, because the required investment capital is huge, $67 billion.

Mentioning non-state capital, he said this can be done only if Vietnam has a transparent policy and applies measures to avoid long-term financial risks. This will determine the success or failure of the project.

Expressing his agreement with the 19 specific mechanisms and policies applied to the project, the National Assembly deputy from Quang Tri said that the mechanisms need to be strictly supervised to avoid wrongdoings and waste. 

Therefore, he suggested establishing a steering committee in charge of project management.

High-speed railway tickets

Concerned about the speed of the railway, Huynh Thanh Chung, a National Assembly deputy from Binh Phuoc, said most countries use a 350km/h speed, while some countries choose a speed of 400km/h.

He supports a plan to develop 350km/h railway, saying that high speed shortens transport time, and therefore, will attract more passengers.

With such a speed, the time needed to travel between Hanoi and HCM City will be the same as an airplane. If so, railway ticket prices must be lower than air ticket prices.

The prices of railway tickets must not be higher than 75 percent of airfares for long distance travel and 85 percent for short distance travel.

Nguyen Lan Hieu, a National Assembly deputy from Binh Dinh, expressed his concern about the proposals by the government to build a 1,435mm gauge double-track railway with a designed speed of 350km/h, reserved for passenger transport, but used for cargo, if necessary. 

According to Hieu, in most countries, high-speed railways with the speed of 350km/h are used to carry passengers only. There is no railway for both passenger and cargo transport that has the speed of over 300km/h. The use of railway for dual purposes (cargo and passenger) may be unsafe.

In Germany and Austria, since some 300km/h railways carrying passengers incurred losses, the railways are used for both passenger and cargo, but they have reduced the speed to around 200km/h.

The deputy from Binh Dinh requested the government to accurately assess passenger transport demand on the North-South route so as to choose the most reasonable speed for Vietnam’s railway.

“The North-South high-speed railway is the dream of many Vietnamese generations, including me. But even if we have a great passion for a 350km/h railway route, we still need to consider things carefully before making decisions,” Hieu said.

Thu Hang