On the afternoon of November 20, discussing the investment policy for the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis, delegate Hoang Van Cuong (Hanoi City Delegation) said that developing the North-South high-speed railway is not to compete with aviation in terms of travel time, but to restructure transportation methods, creating opportunities for people who cannot travel by air to have a fast and convenient means of travel.
Therefore, according to the delegate, the North-South high-speed railway must reach all densely populated areas, such as Nam Dinh, the center of both Thai Binh and Hung Yen, to attract millions more passengers, rather than bypassing Nam Dinh to run directly to Da Nang, Nha Trang or Ho Chi Minh City to compete with aviation.
Delegates said that trains should stop to pick up and drop off passengers at all stations, especially those not close to airports, so that passengers can travel between any two locations, for example from Nam Dinh to Ha Tinh, or Ninh Binh to Quang Ngai at any time; stations should not be separated in order to increase speed and shorten travel time...
Meanwhile, delegate Tran Van Tien (Vinh Phuc Delegation) said that the construction of the North-South high-speed railway has a viewpoint of studying and choosing the shortest possible route.
However, the delegate informed that according to the master plan, the section from Phu Ly station to Ninh Binh has many curves, making the route longer, which is not consistent with the research perspective of choosing the shortest possible route.
Delegates proposed that the route from Phu Ly station to Ninh Binh should run parallel to the highway.
Regarding the structure of the project, the delegate said, currently, the project proposes 3 types of structures on the route including: Bridge structure, tunnel structure, and ground structure.
In fact, after many floods, many railway sections with soil foundations were damaged by flood water. On the other hand, using soil foundations causes terrain fragmentation and wastes land.
"To ensure safety for the high-speed railway, it is recommended to calculate additional investment options for the entire route with bridge and tunnel structures for comparison and consideration," the delegate proposed.
The station project also needs to clarify the connection between the high-speed railway station and other types of transport, and centers with large passenger and cargo volumes.
Referring to Thu Thiem station, with a scale of 17.2 hectares, including a passenger station, maintenance area, urban railway station, etc., the delegate said that this is the smallest station with the most connections, so it is recommended to consider the scale to suit its function.
The draft also stipulates that the station does not have to go through a competition for architectural plans. Delegates believe that this is a project with high technical and aesthetic values and reflects regional culture, so a competition must be held to select the architectural plan.
