Prime Minister: Building a modern urban railway system

On the morning of December 5, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Head of the State Steering Committee for important national projects and works, key to the transport sector, chaired a meeting of the Government Standing Committee with the Ministry of Transport, the People's Committees of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and relevant ministries and branches on the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City urban railway system project.

Attending the conference were Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh; Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha; leaders of relevant ministries, branches, agencies and leaders of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

According to the approved transportation planning of Hanoi Capital to 2030 and vision to 2050, the unapproved general planning of construction of the Capital to 2045, vision to 2065, the total length of the urban railway system of the Capital is about 413km, by 2035 the investment will be completed with the actual length of 410.8km; by 2045, about 200.7km will be completed.

By 2035, Hanoi will put into operation about 397.8km of urban railway, taking on 35-40% of the public passenger transport market share; after 2035, strive to put into operation about 200.7km more.

Capital demand for the period 2026-2030, Hanoi needs about 14.60 billion USD; for the period 2031-2035, about 22.57 billion USD is needed and for the period 2036-2045, capital demand for the construction of Hanoi urban railway is about 18.25 billion USD.

Minister of Transport Tran Hong Minh speaks. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

According to the draft of the Project to adjust the General Planning of Ho Chi Minh City to 2040, with a vision to 2060, the Ho Chi Minh City urban railway system includes 12 routes, including 10 metro routes with a total length of about 510km and 2 light rail routes (tramway/LRV) with a length of about 70km.

The goal is that by 2030, Ho Chi Minh City will have 31km of urban railway, transporting 15-20% of public passengers; by 2045, it will have 351km and transporting 40-50% of public passengers; by 2060, it will have 510km and transporting 50-60% of public passengers...

The total investment capital demand for construction, exploitation and operation until 2035 is about more than 36 billion USD, the period from 2036 to 2045 is about more than 26 billion USD and from 2046-2060 it needs about more than 40 billion USD.

At the conference, delegates focused on discussing and analyzing the context, the need for synchronous investment and completion of the urban railway network; lessons learned from urban railway development in other countries and Vietnam; viewpoints and goals of urban railway construction; selection of technology, technical standards and options for developing the urban railway network; assessing the impact of the project; urban development orientation towards taking the development of the public transport system as the basis for planning (TOD), traffic connection; capital and human resources for urban railway development; railway industry; mechanisms, policies, solutions; tasks of ministries, branches and localities in organizing the implementation of urban railway development in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City...

The Government Standing Committee meets on the Urban Railway Development Project in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

Concluding the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomed the Ministry of Transport, the People's Committees of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for preparing relevant documents, as well as the enthusiastic and quality opinions of the delegates; requested the presiding units to absorb the opinions of the delegates, complete the project to soon submit to the competent authorities in 2025.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the construction of the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City urban railway system project to realize Conclusion No. 49-KL/TW dated February 28, 2023 of the Politburo on the orientation for the development of Vietnam's railway transport to 2030, with a vision to 2045 and Conclusion No. 72-KL/TW dated February 23, 2024 of the Politburo on continuing to implement Resolution No. 13-NQ/TW dated January 16, 2012 of the 11th Party Central Committee on building synchronous infrastructure to basically turn our country into a modern industrialized country to solve traffic congestion, reduce environmental pollution, and promote double-digit growth in the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The Prime Minister requested that in the process of developing the Project, there must be a breakthrough mindset, a strategic, long-term, fundamental, modern, comprehensive, inclusive vision, bringing high efficiency; it must be researched and prepared thoroughly, comprehensively, and deeply so that when implemented, it can be implemented quickly, promptly, and effectively. At the same time, attention must be paid to decentralizing and thoroughly delegating power to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in organizing implementation, mobilizing resources, and handling related issues; developing an urban railway system including both elevated and underground, placed in the overall development of the country's transport, especially in the above-mentioned city.

On that basis, the Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Transport, ministries, branches and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to coordinate to perfect institutions, standards, criteria and processes related to urban railway development in particular and transport in general.

The Ministry completes the planning of urban railways in particular and transportation in general with a long-term vision, in a modern direction, in the spirit of "crossing rivers by building bridges, crossing mountains by digging mountains, crossing fields by dumping soil", avoiding residential areas, underground works, and socio-economic infrastructure to minimize site clearance, as well as impacts on residents, security, national defense, and other socio-economics.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh gives a directive speech. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

The head of the Government requested that urban railway construction should choose modern technology suitable to Vietnam's conditions; diversify resources including state resources, private resources, loans, and public-private partnerships; allocate resources and focus on training human resources to serve the development of the railway industry; research and apply science in administration, operation, management, and exploitation in a smart direction.

Requiring appropriate divergence and contributing to the goal of our country becoming a developing country with modern industry and high average income by 2030 and becoming a developed country with high income by 2045, the Prime Minister directed the development of an investment project to build the urban railway system of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with completely innovative thinking, thinking, and working methods; modern standards, criteria, and processes to meet the new development period.

Along with that is the construction of urban railway lines, promoting technology transfer, developing the railway industry and the railway ecosystem in a fast, green, high-tech direction; proposing specific policy mechanisms in selecting consultants, supervisors, investors, contractors, ensuring transparency...

In the immediate future, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will urgently complete and submit to the Prime Minister the Master Plan for the construction of the Capital and Ho Chi Minh City before December 25, 2024 for consideration and approval, as a basis for development, including investment in the development of the urban railway system of the two cities.

The Prime Minister assigned Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha to direct and assign the Ministry of Transport, the Hanoi People's Committee, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and relevant ministries and agencies to focus on completing the Project, completing the dossier to submit to the Politburo for consideration of investment policies, mechanisms, policies, etc.

The Prime Minister noted that ministries, branches and localities must coordinate closely, especially to prevent and combat negativity and corruption during the implementation of this important project./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/thu-tuong-xay-dung-he-thong-duong-sat-do-thi-theo-huong-hien-dai-post999183.vnp