The Ministry of Planning and Investment has announced the conclusion of the appraisal meeting for the pre-feasibility report of the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis. The Appraisal Council requested the Ministry of Transport to focus on several contents regarding the project dossier and forecast the transport demand on the North-South corridor.
Regarding the main technical solutions, specifically the orientation and location of the stations, the Council requested the Ministry of Transport to explain in detail the implementation of the direction of the Government’s Standing Committee.
“The technical elements of the orientation must be as straight as possible to reduce costs (especially the section through Nam Dinh province), ensure operating speed for trains, create new development space, avoid residential and urban areas but must have appropriate and convenient connection plans to connect shortest to airports, large seaports; convenient connection with the East-West corridor and connection with railways of China, Laos and Cambodia”, the Council pointed out.
In the country, the orientation and station location of the project must also be reviewed and adjusted, especially in locations with advantages of connecting with major transport hubs, economic zones…
The Appraisal Council requested the Ministry of Transport to focus on several contents related to the project dossier and forecast of transport demand on the North-South corridor.
Regarding the operating speed, the Ministry of Transport is requested to explain in detail the technical requirements of the route with a design speed of 350km/h in the exploitation of container cargo trains.
The scale of the stations needs to clarify the provision of auxiliary needs such as parking lots, connections with other means of transport… with a minimum area according to international practice. The stations must calculate and determine a sufficiently large area that suits the long-term strategic vision to develop full services, modern, and maximize the efficiency of land resources and new development space… In addition, consider not determining the maximum scale of the station according to the opinion of some localities.
The Council also proposed to clarify the parameters on the investment scale, review the content of assessing socio-economic and financial effectiveness; clarify the plan to mobilize and balance capital.
“Review carefully and clarify the mechanisms and policies that are really necessary for the project to report to the National Assembly for consideration and decision, ensuring legal validity and feasibility of implementation; clarify the proposed mechanisms and policies on supporting enterprises in technology transfer; seeking ODA loans, preferential foreign loans with low cost”, the Council requested.
On the basis of the Council’s vote, the permanent agency of the Council will finalize the appraisal report and submit it to the Chairman of the Council for submission to the Government on October 17.
