Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Chairman of the State Appraisal Council, appraises the pre-feasibility report of the high-speed rail project on the North-South axis, spoke at the meeting.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Danh Huy and representatives of ministries, sectors, and localities who are members of the Council.
According to Minister Nguyen Chi Dung, the project to invest in the construction of a high-speed railway on the North-South axis has been approved by the Politburo and the Central Committee of the Party with a unified investment policy with a design speed of 350 km/h, transporting passengers, and meeting the requirements of dual-use for national defense and security, and can transport goods if necessary.
This is an extremely important project for the country’s development, contributing to enhancing the country’s stature and prestige in the new era. Therefore, ministries and sectors need high determination, great efforts, and decisive actions to implement it.
At the meeting, the Council members focused on discussing and giving opinions on the contents of the pre-feasibility report of the project; the appraisal results of the appraisal consultant; and the draft appraisal report on the pre-feasibility report of the project.
Concluding the meeting, Minister Nguyen Chi Dung, Chairman of the Council, requested the Ministry of Transport to carefully study the appraisal report of the inter-sector appraisal team, the appraisal report of the Appraisal Consultant, the opinions of the Council members, and the appraisal opinions of the relevant ministries and sectors to maximize the reception and urgently complete the pre-feasibility report of the project.
Accordingly, regarding the project dossier, based on the Conclusions of the Politburo, the Central Committee, and the Government’s Standing Committee, the Ministry of Transport is requested to receive, review carefully, and supplement fully in the project dossier to ensure quality and efficiency.
Regarding the transport demand forecast, the Chairman of the Council requested a thorough review of the transport demand forecast data (passengers, cargo) on the North-South corridor to ensure reliability and compatibility with world projects.
Overview of the meeting
Regarding the route and station locations, the Council requested that they must closely follow the directions of the Government’s Standing Committee, especially the technical factors of the route, which must be as straight as possible to reduce costs, especially the section through Nam Dinh province, ensuring the speed of operation for the trains, creating a new development space, avoiding residential and urban areas but having a suitable connection plan to connect to the airport and seaport in the shortest way; facilitating the connection of the East-West corridor and linking with the railways of China, Laos, and Cambodia. At the same time, continue to coordinate with the localities where the high-speed railway passes through to review and adjust the route and station locations of the project, especially the locations with advantages of connecting with major transport hubs and economic zones…
Regarding the preliminary total investment, the Chairman of the Council requested a review based on the principle of calculating correctly and sufficiently and in accordance with the law at the stage of preparing the pre-feasibility report of the project.
According to the pre-feasibility report presented at the meeting, the North-South high-speed rail project aims to realize the guidelines and orientations of the Party, the Resolutions and Conclusions of the Politburo, and the implementation of the master plans; to enhance regional connectivity, growth poles, create a spillover effect, open up a new economic development space, restructure urban areas, redistribute the population, and transform the economic structure; to increase the competitiveness of the economy; to meet transport demand, contribute to the optimal and sustainable restructuring of the market share of transport on the North-South corridor, create a premise and driving force for socio-economic development, and ensure national defense and security.
The project is expected to pass through 20 provinces/cities, including: Hanoi, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Dong Nai, and Ho Chi Minh City.
In terms of investment scale, a new double-track railway will be constructed with a standard gauge of 1,435 mm, electrification, a design speed of 350 km/h, and an axle load of 22.5 tons/axle; with a length of about 1,541 km and 23 passenger stations (one station in each province, and two stations in Ha Tinh, Binh Dinh, and Binh Thuan provinces). To ensure the dual-use for national defense and security and the transportation of goods when needed, five freight stations will be arranged along the route at major freight hubs, facilitating logistics for national defense and security and international transport.
