High-speed railway: A boost to bring Vietnam's transport to the world
Báo Dân trí•28/11/2024
(Dan Tri) - Choosing the North-South high-speed railway technology with a speed of 350km/h is a completely feasible option, leading to the country's economic development in a continuous chain.
Dan Tri Newspaper reporter had a talk with Dr. Truong Thi My Thanh, Head of the Department of Urban Planning and Transport (University of Transport Technology) to learn about the North-South high-speed railway technology, as well as the economic development potential of this Project. Dear Doctor, many countries in Europe, Japan or China; high-speed rail technology has existed for a long time. Can you share some outstanding high-speed rail technologies in the world? - First of all, we need to understand clearly what speed of rail will be considered high-speed rail. Although there is no clear definition of high-speed rail, the International Union of Railways (UIC) stipulates that railways operate at speeds of over 250 km/h for new lines and over 200 km/h for conventional railways converted into high-speed railways. Historically, 1872 marked the invention of the electric rail circuit and 1881 - the beginning of electric trains replacing steam locomotives. Over time, the accumulation of railway technology gradually developed and by 1995, the French National Railway Company set a record speed of 331 km/h. Japan's high-speed railway, called Shinkansen, began operating in 1964 on a 515 km long line, connecting the capital Tokyo and Osaka. At the time of opening, the maximum operating speed was 210 km/h. With the success of the Shinkansen high-speed bullet train, the importance of railways was re-acknowledged globally, since then the movement to increase the speed of railways has been expanding to different countries with the construction of new lines and the improvement of conventional lines spreading. In Europe, countries like France and Germany have built their networks and are now expanding to connect with neighboring countries. While in Asia: South Korea and Taiwan are leading the way and now the construction of high-speed railways in China is progressing rapidly. In the world, Japan and France are the two countries operating high-speed railways with the highest operating speed of 320km/h, with the total number of high-speed railway kilometers in Japan estimated at 3,100km, France at nearly 2,800km. Spain, Germany, and Italy operate high-speed trains at 300km/h, with the total number of high-speed railway kilometers being 2,938km, 1,658km, and 981km, respectively. Notably, China opened its first high-speed railway line in 2008. By the end of 2018, the high-speed railway network in China had expanded to 30 out of 33 provincial-level administrative units and reached a total length of 29,000km. Vietnam is planning to implement the North-South high-speed railway project. According to the project's Pre-Feasibility Study Report, it is possible to choose to design vehicles with a speed of 350km/h. Do you think this is a suitable choice? - In Vietnam, according to the proposed plan, the North-South high-speed railway will have a design speed of 350km/h and an operating speed of 320km/h. First of all, it is necessary to clarify the technology of high-speed railways that is different from traditional railways and why it can achieve such speeds. First, high-speed railways will eliminate railway crossings, the entire railway line has been raised and level crossings have been eliminated. Second, the weight of the train is reduced: The axle load is reduced by the system and the method of distributing the power, which reduces the burden on the structure. Third, the use of train control aids, by using technology to monitor the front and control the train, safe high-speed transport has become a reality. Traditional train drivers operating on railways in the past paid close attention to the front, and if there was anything unusual, the train would stop by emergency braking. The distance required to stop the train when running at full speed is called the braking distance, and according to regulations, the train must not run at a speed that cannot be stopped within the braking distance. The braking distance varies from country to country, for example, in Japan the braking distance value is 600 meters. Therefore, even if the train has high braking performance, the operating speed is limited to 130km/h or less. Today, high-speed trains use an electric auxiliary braking system, which uses electricity to perform the braking function of the high-speed train, at which time the pneumatic brake and the electric brake will be deployed simultaneously to ensure that the train decelerates to a safe range as quickly as possible. With the above analysis, it can be seen that achieving high speed is thanks to suitable railway infrastructure (eliminating intersections), using vehicles with suitable structures (reducing train weight) and train control support technology. Therefore, the North-South high-speed railway line can reach an operating speed of 320km/h is feasible. With 3 types of high-speed railways in the world including rail running, magnetic levitation running and tube running (Hyperloop), Vietnam plans to choose rail running technology. Do you agree with this? - I completely agree with the rail running proposal from the Project's Pre-Feasibility Study Report. Can you share details of the selected technology as informed in the Report? - Research results show that in the world, high-speed railways have 3 types of technology: Rail running technology, speed 200-350km/h; Magnetic levitation technology, speed 500-580km/h; tube technology, speed up to 1,200km/h. High-speed rail running on rails has the same basic principles as traditional railways but is developed with more precise technology and techniques. This type of technology was developed and put into operation in 1964 in Japan, and is currently being developed in many countries around the world, especially in China in the last 2 decades. Rail-based rail technology has been tested to ensure safety; investment costs are at an average level; and it has the ability to connect conveniently to the railway network. According to statistics from the International Railway Union (UIC), by 2023, 22 countries and territories will own high-speed railways with an estimated length of 59,421km. Choosing rail-based railways for investment and exploitation (expected to double in the next 30 years) and researching and developing to increase maximum speed. This technology has shown high reliability, safety and transport efficiency over the past 60 years. Magnetic levitation technology (Maglev): Operates on the principle that the train is lifted, guided and moved by magnetic or electromagnetic force. Magnetic levitation technology has high investment costs and limited application capabilities. Maglev trains can reach speeds comparable to aircraft using propeller or jet engines; that is, from 500 to 580km/h. This type has been researched since 1968 in the US. After a series of safety incidents, only 3 countries are currently operating with modest distances (about 30-50km). Specifically, in China, there was the Shanghai Transrapid line in 2004; Japan had the low-speed Linimo line to serve the World Expo in 2005; and South Korea had the Incheon Airport Maglev line in 2016, currently operating commercially over very modest distances. Japan is currently building a 290km magnetic levitation railway (from Tokyo to Nagoya) with an investment cost (in 2021) of about 6.4 billion USD - equivalent to about 220 million USD/km. Tube technology (Hyperloop): Using vacuum tubes, helping the vehicle move inside at high speed due to no air resistance. The test speed reached 1,200km/hour. However, the investment cost is very high and is still in the research process and no country has yet commercially exploited it. Through research on high-speed rail technology in the world, it can be seen that up to now, most of the above countries have chosen high-speed rail running on rails because of its reliability, efficiency, and convenient connection to the railway network and are researching to maximize the operating speed. In Vietnam, based on the level of reliability, efficiency, technological mastery, and experience of countries around the world, the consulting consortium has recommended that choosing rail technology for the North-South high-speed railway project is reasonable. Could you share some advantages of high-speed trains? - The advantage of high-speed trains is, first of all, the special advantage in speed compared to traditional trains and cars. Moreover, with an operating speed of 320km/h, when compared to the same travel distance of less than 500km, the travel time of high-speed rail can be more advantageous than traveling by plane, due to the reduction of intermediate time such as traveling to airports far from the city, reducing security control time, sending luggage... Second, traveling by high-speed train is very safe. According to WHO calculations, although the rate of deaths due to road traffic accidents in Vietnam has decreased from 25.4 people/100,000 people in 2010, to 17.7 people/100,000 people in 2021 (down 43.5%), this rate is still 18 times higher than that of rail transport. In the United States, in 2022, the number of road traffic fatalities per 100 million (people/mile) was 0.54, while the figure for railways was only 0.03. Third, due to modern technology, the control of high-speed rail operating time is highly reliable, and the train journey is very punctual. In Japan, the Shinkansen bullet train system is also known for its world-class punctuality. The Japanese railway company estimates that the rate of trains arriving on time, without a second's delay, is 96.1%. According to Japan Today, in 2012, Japanese railway corporations apologized to passengers for allowing the number of train delays throughout the year to reach 36 seconds (Tokyo - Osaka route). A reality in countries like France, China, especially Japan; when implementing the construction of high-speed rail, they have mastered or at least partially mastered the technology. Vietnam has done this and how can Vietnamese companies and enterprises contribute to the construction process? - Mastering technology is understood as whether Vietnamese people can take on most of the job positions related to research, design, construction, production, operation and exploitation of the entire high-speed railway system. With such a way of posing the question, Vietnamese people have mastered a large part of the technology. The rest, we will learn from technology transfer to be able to gradually master it in the next projects. Currently, the Ministry of Transport and domestic railway human resource training institutions have calculated the specific proportion of human resources for the construction of railway infrastructure, equipment, locomotives and wagons, signal information, transport exploitation, information technology, customer service, security - safety. On that basis, determine which ratio can be trained 100% domestically, which ratio combines training in countries that have developed very advanced high-speed railway systems. Thus, in terms of training human resources for high-speed railways - metro, which is considered very high-tech, but when dissecting the details, it is still seen that most of the job positions in the railway - metro sector in Vietnam are proactive in training and developing human resources. Vietnam is a country with diverse terrain with mountains and long coastlines, is the operation of high-speed trains safe, especially when moving through mountains and hills, Doctor? - High-speed railways to ensure operating speeds of 320km/h, when moving through coastal and mountainous areas, the railway infrastructure mainly clings to viaducts and tunnels. Factors related to weak ground or steep longitudinal slopes have been eliminated, making it very safe. In addition, the requirements for curvature radius and rail inclination have also changed a lot compared to traditional railways. Proper construction and acceptance meeting standards will be very safe during operation and exploitation. Can you share the role of high-speed trains in protecting the environment, especially reducing emissions? - High-speed railways also help reduce negative impacts on the environment due to low-emission electric technology. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), during their life cycle, trains emit an average of 19 grams of CO2e per kilometer traveled by a passenger, compared to 123 grams for aircraft and 148 grams for private cars. Another issue that has received public attention is that the State Appraisal Council for the project informed that the railway line needs to be "as straight as possible", especially the section through Nam Dinh. According to you, is the construction of a high-speed train station in Nam Dinh really necessary to ensure the goal of connecting airports, China, Laos, Cambodia and the East-West corridor? - The opinion that the railway line needs to be "as straight as possible" implies that it must be technically guaranteed, especially limiting the difference in vertical and horizontal elevations, ensuring safe train operation at very high speeds. This has been completely controlled in the technical design and needs to continue to be controlled in construction and acceptance. The construction of the line with a station located in Nam Dinh does not affect this technical factor at all, because the conditions for technical curvature radius are still guaranteed. On the other hand, the construction of the railway line does not stop at the goal of connecting airports and countries with the same border, but more importantly, connecting the regions of Vietnam itself. This is an important and key impact when there is a North-South high-speed railway, connecting urban areas along the route corridor, stretching the backbone of the country to help circulate passengers, labor force, tourism... helping to develop services, jobs, and develop the economy between more dynamic regions. In particular, this impact will be more evident in areas that do not have good transport connections, the economy is not yet diversified, and the knowledge-based economy is not yet a highlight. The knowledge-based economy is not yet a highlight, can you explain more clearly about this issue? - A study on the Economic Impact Assessment of the North-South High-Speed Railway expansion by the Ministry of Transport, which I chaired, shows that the impact on economic development (especially the economic sector that is largely based on knowledge) and the regional connectivity of the North-South High-Speed Railway create particularly positive impacts on areas where transport infrastructure is still limited, such as small-scale cities. Regarding improved inter-regional connectivity, economic sectors such as information technology, creative services, and e-commerce benefit more, as workers can work in more distant locations while maintaining the same travel time. Of course, other sectors still benefit greatly from this. But the knowledge economy will have a greater impact than other sectors. Because the knowledge economy depends largely on people. For example, in Nam Dinh and Vinh, it was very difficult for IT companies to set up headquarters in the past. If the North-South high-speed railway comes into operation, it will shorten travel time and attract a good workforce. Workers in Hanoi can completely travel to Nam Dinh or Vinh for meetings, meet partners, and work during the day conveniently. In the future, when the railway comes into operation, what benefits will it bring to the country's economic development, Doctor? - Investing in infrastructure, especially transport infrastructure, can change the face of an entire region, inter-region, where those routes pass through. First, travel time savings are often considered the largest economic benefit of investing in transport infrastructure, although the extent and value of these benefits remain controversial. It is often quantified through the following indicators: travel time, distance traveled for a single trip or a trip chain, access time for real-time information; in which, travel time is the most commonly used indicator. Time-saving benefits are also one of the benefits that the North-South high-speed railway line, when put into operation, will bring to passengers traveling between provinces/cities along the corridor. As expected, when the high-speed railway line is put into operation, the stations will be connected with 36 trains/day in 2030 and 72 trains/day in 2040. The time required between main stations is assumed to be reduced to less than 1/6 of the time compared to the traditional North-South railway. The most obvious impact is the change in accessibility and travel time between main stations along the corridor. Second, reducing travel time between regions will have an impact on the restructuring of the labor market. Normally, the indicators for assessing the impact on the labor market are related to labor demand and workplace choice, in which labor demand reflects the impact on enterprises and workplace choice reflects the impact on workers. Such impacts are not easy to recognize. However, when analyzed in detail, it will be seen that thanks to better access to transportation, shorter goods circulation, and reduced transportation costs, the scale of enterprises will be expanded without much change in operating costs, so enterprises will change their labor demand. This impact also goes both ways. Changing transportation access helps shorten travel time, workers tend to choose a workplace further away without increasing travel time. Therefore, they have more choices of workplaces and businesses with equivalent job positions, longer travel distances but unchanged or even shortened travel times. Third, reducing travel time will directly improve accessibility to areas where high-speed rail lines pass through, thereby leading to changes in land use and real estate prices. There is a very universal and proven rule in the development of transport infrastructure projects: impacts on transport access lead to impacts on land use. Simply put, in places with good transport access, the land use structure will shift to commercial, residential, and educational land. Can you give an example of this? - For example, around metro stations or BRT bus stations, the density of commercial land increases rapidly, especially in the catchment area of that station. Therefore, the assessment of land use impacts is often associated with the following parameters: the rate of land use conversion (from agricultural land to commercial and service land), land use density, and the increase in land value over time. Overall, these indicators also fully demonstrate the impact of transport infrastructure development on the local and regional economy. In short, the development of transport infrastructure in general and high-speed railways in particular will help develop the economy in a continuous chain: reducing travel time helps promote changes in housing and workplace choices, helps increase access to jobs and redistribute the labor structure; and finally, real estate prices will also change. Thank you, Doctor, for taking the time to chat!
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