On September 18, the Politburo agreed to seek the opinion of the Party Central Committee to approve the investment policy for the high-speed railway line on the North-South axis before the Government submits it to the National Assembly at the 8th Session of the 15th National Assembly.
Then, on September 25, at a working session on the implementation of the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis, Party Central Committee member, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government Tran Hong Ha emphasized the need to carefully select technology, management and operation models towards building a complete and autonomous railway industry and services. The Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade to preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Transport, the Vietnam Railway Authority, the Vietnam Railway Corporation, and a number of large enterprises to develop and implement a roadmap for receiving, transferring, mastering technology and developing the railway industry from equipment production, operation, and management; ensuring synchronization and unity in technology, regulations, and standards.
"Taking the development of high-speed railways, urban railways, and Vietnam's railways in general to create a boost for the mechanical, manufacturing, automation, and other industries serving the national economy and people's lives" - Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized.
The project will create opportunities and motivation for industrial development, especially supporting industries. The Department of Industry, Ministry of Industry and Trade assessed: The high-speed railway project in Vietnam will become a key point in the national transport infrastructure development strategy. With the goal of connecting key economic regions, reducing travel time and increasing transport capacity, this project not only helps modernize the transport system but also promotes the strong development of related industries. Industry plays a key role in providing materials, equipment and technology to complete this project. In particular, the construction and manufacturing industry plays an important role in providing necessary materials for railway construction, including concrete, steel, infrastructure components such as bridges, culverts, and tunnels.
In addition, the industry of manufacturing high-tech equipment such as locomotives, carriages, electrical and signal systems also needs to develop strongly. These equipment not only require advanced technology but also must meet international safety standards.
The software and technology solutions industry will have the opportunity to develop when participating in providing smart management and operation solutions, helping to optimize costs and improve the performance of the railway system.
High-speed railways require specialized equipment and tools for construction, installation and maintenance. This creates conditions for the development of the domestic mechanical and machinery manufacturing industry, as contractors and enterprises must produce or import equipment that meets the high technical requirements of the project. Localization of mechanical products also helps reduce costs, improve economic efficiency and create jobs for workers.
Regarding the steel industry, at the Government's conference with large enterprises on solutions to contribute to the country's socio-economic development held on September 21, Mr. Tran Dinh Long - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hoa Phat Group - emphasized the importance of the North-South high-speed railway project with a total investment of 70 billion USD, assessing that this will be a strategic infrastructure project of the country in the medium and long term.
Mr. Tran Dinh Long also affirmed that Hoa Phat Group has enough capacity to produce steel for high-speed railways and is ready to participate in bidding to supply steel for this project.
From a business perspective, the project is worth over 70 billion USD, of which the vehicles and equipment alone are worth up to 34.1 billion USD, which will be a very large and extremely attractive market for businesses with strengths in manufacturing locomotives and carriages.
A representative of Vietnam Railways Corporation commented: Vietnam must gradually research, gradually transfer, and gradually take over technology.At the same time, businesses themselves must also proactively propose preferential policies to form and develop an industrial mechanical industry, an industrial mechanical industry of railways.
