In 2023, the disbursement rate of public investment capital in the transportation sector reached 97%. Entering the new year 2024, the Ministry of Transport identified that there were still heavy tasks ahead, requiring concentrated efforts, striving, and maximizing the sense of responsibility to be able to complete 3,000 kilometers of expressways and simultaneously deploy 19 projects this year.
In the early days of the new year, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang answered an interview with Vietnam Television about the achievements in 2023 as well as the plans and objectives of the transport sector in 2024.
VTV Reporter:Never before has the transport sector accomplished such a large amount of work like in the past year. Are you satisfied with the results achieved in 2023?
Minister Nguyen Van Thang:I am very happy and excited about the fairly complete results that the Ministry of Transport and the transportation sector nationwide have achieved in 2023.
Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang
A year with a lot of work when only the state budget allocated to the Ministry of Transport in this term has reached over 388,000 billion VND. In 2023 alone, the capital allocated to the Ministry of Transport set a record from the past with 114,000 billion VND. Of which, nearly 95,000 billion VND is central government funding.
With our responsibility to the Party and the people, the Ministry of Transport has made every effort to basically complete the tasks assigned by the Prime Minister, achieving a disbursement rate of about 97% of the plan. Along with that, in 2023, the sector also started 26 projects, completed and put into operation 22 projects in all 5 sectors and evenly distributed in all 6 key economic regions. Among them, the expressway projects are 9 projects with a length of 475 kilometers, bringing the total length of expressways nationwide to nearly 1,900 kilometers.
VTV Reporter:In 2024, the task is still large, along with the need to continue to complete 3,000 kilometers of expressways by 2025. Along with that are 19 key projects to be implemented this year. How will the Ministry of Transport plan?
Minister Nguyen Van Thang:Currently, the whole country is implementing the construction of 40 expressway projects with a total length of 1,172 kilometers. These projects are all expected to be completed in the period from 2024 to 2027. To ensure the national target of at least 3,000 kilometers of expressways by 2025, the Ministry of Transport is focusing on resolutely directing the following content:
Firstly, directing project investors, construction contractors to arrange sufficient manpower, machinery, and equipment, organize construction in 3 shifts to ensure that the projects are expected to be completed in 2025 to meet the deadline.
Secondly, promote the application of new initiatives, technical improvements, solutions, new technologies in project management and construction to shorten the construction time, striving to complete some projects in 2025 instead of 2026 as planned.
Thirdly, the Ministry of Transport will closely coordinate with other ministries and localities to promptly resolve difficulties and obstacles, in accordance with the spirit of the Prime Minister’s directive, “where there are obstacles, we have to remove them, at which level there are obstacles, that level must remove them” to ensure that the projects achieve and exceed the set progress.
The country is currently implementing the construction of 40 expressway projects with a total length of 1,172 kilometers (Photo: TTXVN)
For the 19 projects planned to start in 2024, the Ministry of Transport is strongly directing the concentration on solving 3 major issues:
Firstly, doing well the investment preparation work, especially surveying and designing, and estimating. Ensure that the projects do not have additional costs, additional work volumes, and extend the project schedule.
Secondly, complete quickly and timely investment procedures, including the formulation, appraisal, approval of investment projects, and the organization of bidding to select construction contractors, and supervisory consultants. From there, help the projects ensure both quality and progress.
Thirdly, the Ministry of Transport will closely coordinate with ministries, localities, especially in promptly implementing land clearance compensation, conversion of forest land, paddy land, ensuring the conditions for starting the project according to the regulations of the law.
VTV Reporter:In 2023, simultaneous projects were implemented, including the plan for the North-South high-speed railway. How will the implementation roadmap of this plan in this year be?
Minister Nguyen Van Thang:The North-South high-speed railway is a strategic project for the country and the nation, helping to create a driving force for socio-economic development, contributing to improving the country’s competitive capacity. This is a project with complex technical standards and technology, using a particularly large amount of capital, and also the first project to be implemented in Vietnam. Therefore, the project needs to be carefully and thoroughly researched, suitable for the development trend of the world but also suitable for the specific conditions of Vietnam.
The Ministry of Transport will actively implement the procedures to start the North-South high-speed railway project as soon as possible
The Ministry of Transport is closely following the Resolution of the Politburo and the guidance of the Prime Minister to coordinate closely with ministries, localities to vigorously implement the construction of the North-South high-speed railway investment plan and build the feasibility study report. We will actively implement the procedures to start the project as soon as possible.
Thank you, Minister!
