France pledges to accompany Vietnam in developing high-speed railway

France affirmed its readiness to support Vietnam in important railway projects, especially high-speed railway lines, through the deployment of technical consultants and the promotion of high-quality human resource training. High-speed railway revolution Sharing about the prospects for Vietnam-France cooperation in developing key railway projects, Mr. Hervé Conan, Director of the French Development Agency (AFD) in Vietnam, emphasized that Vietnam's railway industry is in an important transition when it moves towards developing high-speed railways and inter-provincial and urban railways, while gradually demonstrating its determination to reduce emissions in the transport sector, in which railways play a key role. Mr. Hervé Conan affirmed that with its experience and advanced technology, France is ready to accompany Vietnam in implementing strategic projects, especially through a team of senior technical consultants.

Mr. Hervé Conan, Director of the French Development Agency in Vietnam. (Photo: TRUNG HUNG)

The AFD Director stated that Vietnam is currently implementing many important railway projects, including the North-South high-speed railway line, which is expected to cost nearly 70 billion USD. "This is a revolutionary project for Vietnam's transport sector," emphasized Mr. Hervé Conan. Therefore, he also reaffirmed that, with its experience in railway development, France is ready to deploy a group of senior experts to make economic, financial and overall recommendations for the transformation of Vietnam's railway sector. Sharing France's experience in converting from traditional railways to high-speed railways more than 4 decades ago, General Director of the French National Railways Group (SNCF), Mr. Diego Diaz said that there are 3 key factors that need to be focused on to develop high-speed railway projects, which are economics, technology and human resources. “High-speed rail projects have a service life of 50-100 years, requiring a long-term vision for exploitation and operation. In addition to the transport benefits and emission reduction, these projects also create many job opportunities in the high-tech, digital and control fields,” Mr. Diego Diaz emphasized. Ensuring connectivity of transport systems

Mr. Diego Diaz, General Director of French National Railways Group. (Photo: TRUNG HUNG)

Regarding technology transfer, Mr. Diaz said that Vietnam can produce basic equipment such as sleepers right from the beginning. However, complex systems such as railway signals will need time to transfer and master. To ensure success, the French side committed to providing consulting support on economic, financial and technical aspects, and promoting the training of high-quality human resources for the Vietnamese railway industry. Mr. Pierre Messulam, former Director of SNCF, noted that investing in high-speed railways not only helps strengthen economic connectivity but also saves 5-10 times more energy than other modes of transport, while with the same volume of passengers or goods, railways allow transportation with a ground area 5 times smaller than roads. Mr. Messulam emphasized that there are many important issues that need to be considered when choosing and determining technology for a future railway line. In particular, investment in the development of a new railway line must be based on the identification of demand, demographic, geographical and climatic characteristics. To increase investment efficiency, Mr. Messulam particularly noted the importance of ensuring the connection between high-speed railways and other transport systems, including urban railways, roads and aviation.

From January 13 to 17, a delegation from the French National Railway Company SNCF paid a working visit to Vietnam. During the program, the French side worked with the Ministry of Transport and Vietnam Railways Corporation and related units and enterprises on the high-speed railway project on the north-south axis, the current status of Vietnam's railway infrastructure system and railway business organization, as well as a technical survey and discussion on the implementation plan for the Hanoi-Hai Phong railway technical support project.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/phap-cam-ket-dong-hanh-cung-viet-nam-phat-trien-duong-sat-toc-do-cao-post856619.html