Concerns about the 'super project' of the Northern high-speed railway

TPO - Supporting the policy of implementing the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis, National Assembly delegates also paid special attention to the implementation progress, the risk of capital increase as well as the investment efficiency of this "super project".

TPO - Supporting the policy of implementing the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis, National Assembly delegates also paid special attention to the implementation progress, the risk of capital increase as well as the investment efficiency of this "super project".

What are the socio-economic effects?

On the morning of November 13, the National Assembly discussed in groups the investment policy for the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis.

Still maintaining his personal opinion from more than 10 years ago, delegate Truong Trong Nghia (HCMC delegation) affirmed that it is "very necessary" to invest in the North-South high-speed railway, with a speed of 350 km/hour.

Through practical experience in some countries, according to him, this speed prevents a cup of coffee from spilling on the table, is also very convenient for working on the train, and contributes to attracting domestic and foreign tourists.

Delegate Truong Trong Nghia. Photo: Nhu Y.

However, according to Mr. Nghia, what voters are still wondering about (including experts, managers, and scientists) is how to realize the goal between desire and organizational and implementation capacity, that is, socio-economic efficiency.

The delegate analyzed that it was also a project, but other countries did it in 5 years, while we did it in 10 years, 15 years and it was not finished; they did it for 10 dollars, we did it for 20, 30 dollars.

In fact, a series of shelved projects are still taking place, the General Secretary has pointed out and "hit the nail on the head" about the huge waste in projects. "When preparing for investment, it is very feasible and effective, but 10 years later it becomes a financial burden," the delegate warned.

In addition, the delegate also raised the challenge of paying attention to the investment budget and public debt in this project. With such a large project, if the budget is balanced, there is no need to worry, but if 30 years later we have to shoulder the loss and our children and grandchildren have to pay the debt, that is a cause for concern.

"The budget is also the people's tax money. If only the rich can afford to buy expensive tickets while the poor cannot travel, it means we have to use taxes from the whole population to compensate for the upper class to travel by rail," Mr. Nghia said.

“If there is no international connection, it will be a trap in the investment process”

Also giving his opinion on the North-South high-speed railway project, delegate Nguyen Truc Anh (Hanoi delegation) commented that Vietnam's railways are developing very slowly compared to other countries in the world. He said that it is necessary to consider this issue as a key national program, a program to upgrade the railway sector and supporting industries.

He also emphasized that urban railways play a very important role. “I cannot imagine that in the next 30 years, any form of transport can replace urban railways, especially in cities with over 1 million people,” said Mr. Truc Anh.

“We must look at urban railways and mass transit in a comprehensive program that includes the North-South Expressway. We are not afraid of money. 150 billion USD is nothing if we successfully localize it, the economic benefits will be much greater,” said delegate Truc Anh.

With the length of the country and key economic zones, delegate Hoang Van Cuong (Hanoi delegation) agreed with the necessity of building a North-South high-speed railway to create spillover.

Delegate Hoang Van Cuong. Photo: Nhu Y.

“Developing a railway connecting with the North Asian railway system will solve the problem of exporting goods. I hope to develop this railway to solve the problem of logistics, transporting goods for export, and connecting internationally,” Mr. Cuong said.

However, the Hanoi delegation was concerned that the proposed railway route would only transport passengers, and that cargo would only be multi-purpose when necessary. Cargo would use the old railway system, but it would not be able to connect internationally due to the 1.43m gauge.

“It is no longer valuable to stop at a certain point. Therefore, goods are currently mainly transported by road,” Mr. Cuong suggested that this route be dual-use, including both goods and passengers to meet the demand for international freight transport.

“If there is no international connection, it will be a “trap” in the investment process,” said Mr. Cuong.

Luan Dung

Source: https://tienphong.vn/ban-khoan-ve-sieu-du-an-duong-sat-toc-do-cao-bac-nam-post1691129.tpo