Meet technical requirements for speed 350km/h
On November 13, the National Assembly will hear the Government present the policy for the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis (HSR).
Regarding the Pre-Feasibility Study (FSS), there are still some concerns about the route direction and whether the station arrangement is optimal?
Speaking with Giao thong Newspaper, the leader of the Railway Project Management Board said that the route of the high-speed railway was researched, compared and selected by consultants according to the following principles: In accordance with national industry planning and local planning; meeting the requirements on control points; shortest route length between stations; meeting technical requirements (maximum slope of 15‰), creating convenience for passengers; suitable for terrain conditions of the area the route passes through.
At the same time, limit going through sensitive areas of natural environment, social environment, relic sites, scenic spots, national defense land; limit the volume of land clearance, avoid densely populated areas, minimize impacts on existing works; ensure East-West corridor connectivity, railway lines connecting China, Laos, Cambodia.
The North-South high-speed railway route is being studied in the "straightest possible" option, meeting economic and technical requirements equivalent to a speed of 350km/h (Photo: illustration).
In 2018, the Ministry of Transport developed 3 route options with the support of international consultants to analyze, evaluate and reach agreement with localities. On that basis, the selected route option was agreed upon by 20/20 provinces and cities with the HSR route passing through on the principle of being as straight as possible.
Recently, implementing the opinion of the State Appraisal Council, the investor and consultant have coordinated with localities to review the entire route through the area. The Ministry of Transport has sent a document to collect opinions and held a meeting with the People's Committees of provinces/cities on the route plan. Result: 18/20 localities have sent a document requesting to keep the route as in the NCTKT Report.
Only two localities proposed to adjust some locations compared to the route direction in the NCTKT Report.
Specifically, Quang Binh proposed to locally adjust some locations based on the 2018 route, moving station locations.
Thua Thien Hue proposed to adjust the route to the East, while the previous route proposed in 2018 was to the West.
Regarding the recommendations of the two provinces, the investor has directed the Consultant to accept them to complete the project documents. The result after reviewing the total length of the route is reduced from 1,545km to 1,541km.
Regarding the route of the high-speed railway through Nam Dinh city, the leader of the Railway Project Management Board said that it has been studied to ensure compliance with national sector planning, regional planning and provincial planning. In particular, Nam Dinh city is the southern center of the Northern coastal region with a planned population of 600,000 people by 2040; the region attracts neighboring localities in the Red River Delta such as Thai Binh, Hung Yen... up to about 4 million people. This is a traffic hub with large transportation demand, according to forecasts that by 2050, the demand for travel to and from Nam Dinh station will be about 3 million passengers/year.
If calculating the investment and operation costs for 30 years of the section through Nam Dinh (12km), the cost will be about 1.66 billion USD, while the benefits are estimated at 2.06 billion USD. Thus, the exploitation of the high-speed railway through Nam Dinh city has an estimated benefit of about 400 million USD within 30 years compared to the high-speed railway going straight and not passing through this area.
On the other hand, world experience has shown that there are many cases where the high-speed railway lines go around major centers to attract passengers instead of going directly, such as in Japan, Korea, China, etc.
“The project route has been updated by localities in the provincial planning, the Ministry of Planning and Investment has appraised it and the Prime Minister has approved it in the provincial planning. Thus, it can be seen that the route has been carefully studied according to the “straightest possible” option, meeting the economic and technical requirements corresponding to the design speed level, ensuring smooth operation for passengers. In the next step, the Ministry of Transport will direct the investor to continue optimizing the route as straight as possible,” said the leader of the Railway Project Management Board.
North-South high-speed railway route through Da Nang city.
Each province arranges at least one passenger station.
Regarding the location and number of stations, the leader of the Railway Project Management Board said that the 1,541km long railway line, passing through 20 provinces/cities, has 23 passenger stations and 5 freight stations.
The station is arranged according to the following principles: Suitable for current conditions and local development planning; Located in the political and economic center of the provinces, approaching the urban center and planning areas with development potential.
At the same time, ensure good connectivity with the national transport system and public transport; Appropriate distance to create new development space, effectively exploit land resources while ensuring effective exploitation of infrastructure and vehicles (ensuring acceleration and deceleration distance).
Based on the above principle, each province will arrange 1 passenger station, with an average length of about 67km/station; Ha Tinh, Binh Dinh, and Binh Thuan provinces will arrange 2 stations because these localities have large urban planning. Up to now, the locations of the stations have been approved by the Prime Minister in the provincial planning.
In addition, the NCTKT Report has proposed a number of potential stations according to the planning such as Nghi Son, Chan May, La Gi, Cam Lam. When the locality develops urban areas with large enough population and transportation demand, the distance between stations ensures technical requirements, the Prime Minister will assign the locality to take the lead in implementation. However, in this period, transportation demand is not high, investment may lead to ineffective exploitation.
Also related to the route direction and station location, local plans have been unified and integrated, reserving land corridors for investment in the high-speed railway. The planning of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City has not been approved, but the route direction and station location plan (Ngoc Hoi station complex, Thuong Tin station at the beginning of the route in Hanoi; Thu Thiem station and Long Truong depot at the end of the route in Ho Chi Minh City) have all been unified by the cities, integrated into the draft plan and have been basically agreed upon by the Politburo.
Recently, the National Assembly's Economic Committee led working groups to survey the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis through the provinces from Hanoi to Nam Dinh and from Khanh Hoa to Ho Chi Minh City.
At the meetings, provinces and cities all agreed on the investment policy and route of the high-speed railway. Some provinces proposed to increase the number of potential stations and the size of the station area.
Hanoi representative emphasized that this is the optimal route for Hanoi. The transportation demand of Hanoi's southern hub is very large, both for passengers and goods. Therefore, compared to the previous study of arranging the freight station in the complex, now arranging Thuong Tin freight station outside the 4th ring road will avoid congestion and connect with other railway lines.
Hanoi has also allocated land for the route. Furthermore, investing in high-speed railways with such functional areas will help Hanoi improve its urban areas; create jobs; and create new space for development.
According to the NCTKT Report, the North-South high-speed railway project will build a new double-track railway line, 1,435mm gauge, electrified, designed speed 350km/h, load capacity 22.5 tons/axle; main line length about 1,541km; transport passengers, meet dual-use requirements for national defense and security, and can transport goods when necessary.
The project starts at Ngoc Hoi station (Hanoi) and ends at Thu Thiem station (HCMC).
The route passes through 20 provinces and 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, Ho Chi Minh City.
Route construction: It is proposed to use 3 main types of structures, including bridge structure (about 60% of the route length), tunnel structure (about 10%) and ground structure (about 30%).
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