Thorough analysis of the overall effectiveness of high-speed rail for the whole economy

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha requested an assessment of the impact of the high-speed railway project on macroeconomic stability, overall socio -economic efficiency, land use, financial plans, and use of resources generated by the project... - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

Reporting to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Ministry of Transport proposed 3 scenarios: Building a new double-track railway line of 1,435 mm gauge, speed of 350 km/h, operating exclusively for passenger trains and upgrading the existing North-South railway line for freight transport; Building a new double-track railway line of 1,435 mm gauge, speed of 250 km/h, combining both freight and passenger trains; Building a new double-track railway line of 1,435 mm gauge, speed of 350 km/h, operating for passenger trains and transporting goods when the need arises, and upgrading the existing North-South railway line for freight transport.

At the meeting, leaders of ministries and branches gave specific comments on each main content of the project: Scale, technical standards; technology; total investment; investment phases; expected progress; investment form, capital sources; operation and exploitation plan; management model; some policies and solutions for implementation; human resource training...

Many opinions say that it is necessary to start from the vision, needs, socio-economic development forecast, and experience of other countries, from which to set out a specific "task" for the high-speed railway line - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

A representative of Vietnam Railway Corporation said that if the existing North-South railway line is liberated from passenger transport to focus on freight transport, and the connection with seaports and road intersections is completed, it will meet the demand for transporting a very large volume of goods, including many types of goods with special requirements on conditions and speed of transport, reducing the very high logistics costs in Vietnam.

Besides, experience from many countries shows that high-speed railways will contribute to reducing urbanization pressure with the development of satellite cities, improving the efficiency of land use, industry, tourism development, reducing logistics costs, etc.

Agreeing with many opinions that it is necessary to start from the vision, needs, forecasts of socio-economic development, and experiences of other countries, thereby setting out a specific "task" for the high-speed railway, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha requested to analyze and carefully evaluate the overall impact and efficiency of the high-speed railway on the economy in each option regarding speed, combining passenger and freight transport, upgrading and utilizing existing railways; optimizing the exploitation and operation capacity of different modes and transport ecosystems (road, air, waterway, sea)...

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha requested the Ministry of Transport to fully absorb all comments and complete the project on investment policy for the high-speed railway on the North-South axis - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

"We need to learn from the world's experience to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of combining passenger and freight transport, between the new high-speed railway line and the existing railway line, the plan for developing satellite urban areas, logistics systems, tourism, the ability to receive and master technology...", the Deputy Prime Minister said and suggested that the Ministry of Transport and the consulting unit mobilize and cooperate with the world's leading research institutes and experts to assess the impact of the high-speed railway project on macroeconomic stability, overall socio-economic efficiency, land use efficiency, financial plans, and use of resources brought by the project...

The Deputy Prime Minister also gave specific opinions on the direction of ordering human resource development; forming a high-speed railway industry; organizing the apparatus and managing the exploitation infrastructure; based on requirements and progress.

Source: https://baotainguyenmoitruong.vn/phan-tich-ky-hieu-qua-tong-the-cua-duong-sat-toc-do-cao-cho-ca-nen-kinh-te-366477.html