The Ministry of Transport is seeking opinions on three scenarios for the North-South high-speed railway, including two scenarios of 350 km/h for passenger transport only and a reserve for freight transport.
Scenario 1 is to invest in building a new double-track North-South high-speed railway, 1,435 mm gauge, 1,545 km long, designed speed 350 km/h, load capacity 17 tons per axle, only for passenger trains. The existing North-South railway is upgraded to transport goods, tourists and short-distance passengers. The total investment capital is about 67.32 billion USD.
According to the consultant, the advantage of this scenario is that the land clearance and investment costs are lower than the other two options, but there is no possibility of increasing capacity if the demand for freight transport on the existing railway is overloaded. International freight transport connections are not favorable because all countries use 1,435 mm rails.
Scenario 2: Build a new double-track North-South railway line with a gauge of 1,435 mm and a load capacity of 22.5 tons per axle, operating both passenger and freight trains, with a design speed of 200-250 km/h and a maximum freight speed of 120 km/h. The existing North-South railway line is modernized to transport goods, tourists and short-distance passengers. The total investment is about 72.02 billion USD.
The advantage of scenario 2 is that both passengers and goods are transported on the same route. International transit connections are convenient, but traffic speed is low.
Scenario 3 is to invest in a double-track North-South railway line, with a gauge of 1,435 mm, a load capacity of 22.5 tons per axle, a design speed of 350 km/h, operating passenger trains and reserve for freight transport when needed. The total investment capital of the project is 68.98 billion USD. If investing in infrastructure, equipment, and vehicles to operate freight trains running North-South, the project investment capital is about 71.69 billion USD.
With this scenario, the North-South high-speed railway line will be completely renovated with 60% bridges, 10% tunnels, and 30% running on the ground. The entire line will have 23 passenger stations, 5 maintenance and repair areas, 40 infrastructure maintenance facilities, 5 freight stations, and 28 km of connecting lines to operate freight trains when demand for goods exceeds operating capacity.
The advantage of scenario 3 is that the train transports passengers only, so it is high-speed, comfortable, safe, and competitive with other means of transport. The market share of the North-South corridor is restructured in a more optimal direction. In addition, this option has the ability to transport goods in case the capacity of the existing North-South railway line is overloaded.
However, the disadvantage of this scenario is high investment costs, the larger the speed difference between passenger trains and cargo trains, reducing throughput capacity.
Railway speed of about 200 km/h in Europe. Photo: Anh Duy
In a recent comment document, the Ministry of Construction chose scenario 3 and requested the Ministry of Transport to coordinate with localities where the project runs to maintain the route agreement when making provincial planning, avoiding adjustments that would increase investment costs. The Ministry also noted that the project's investment costs amount to tens of billions of USD, so to ensure feasibility, the Ministry of Transport needs to supplement the legal basis to propose a preliminary total investment capital.
Thus, compared to previous proposals, the Ministry of Transport has added scenario 3. Previously in 2019, the Ministry submitted to the Government a pre-feasibility report on the North-South high-speed railway project. This is a 1,435 mm gauge double-track line, electrified, with a design speed of 350 km/h and an operating speed of 320 km/h.
At the end of 2022, the Project Appraisal Consultant pointed out some disadvantages of investing in a 350 km/h railway and proposed a plan to carry both passengers and freight, with an operating speed of 225 km/h for passenger trains and 160 km/h for freight trains, with an investment capital of more than 61 billion USD. The Government Party Committee and the State Appraisal Council have requested the Ministry of Transport to further study this plan.
In early October 2023, the Prime Minister established a Steering Committee to develop and implement the North-South high-speed railway investment policy project, in which the Ministry of Transport was assigned as the standing agency, collecting opinions from members of the Steering Committee on investment scenarios. At the Steering Committee meeting at the end of October, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Head of the Steering Committee, said that the development of the North-South high-speed railway must be synchronous, modern, in line with world trends, with a design speed of 350 km/h.
Regarding progress, the Politburo's conclusion sets the target of completing the approval of the investment policy for the North-South high-speed railway project by 2025 and starting construction before 2030. The Hanoi - Vinh and Ho Chi Minh City - Nha Trang high-speed railway sections are given priority to start construction in the 2026-2030 period; striving to complete the entire North-South high-speed railway route before 2045.
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