Continuing the program of the 8th Session, 15th National Assembly, on the morning of November 13, authorized by the Prime Minister, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang presented the Proposal on the investment policy of the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis.
Then, Chairman of the National Assembly's Economic Committee Vu Hong Thanh presented the Report on the review of the investment policy for the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis.
The National Assembly then watched a video clip about the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis.
Also in the morning of the same day, the National Assembly discussed in groups the investment policy for the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis.
According to the preliminary review report on the investment policy for the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis, the Standing Committee of the Economic Committee basically agrees with the Government's proposal on the scope, scale of investment and route direction.
The project starts in Hanoi (Ngoc Hoi station); ends in Ho Chi Minh City (Thu Thiem station) with a main line length of about 1,541km.
However, the National Assembly's Economic Committee proposed to clarify the plan to connect the high-speed railway line with the national railway network, urban railway and other transport systems; and to connect with regional and international railway networks.
According to this agency, there are suggestions to supplement and explain the comparison options as a basis for choosing the route according to the Government's proposal, and at the same time clarify the route according to the principle of "as straight as possible", especially the section passing through Nam Dinh province to ensure the effectiveness of the project.
In addition, the Government proposed to arrange 23 passenger stations, 5 freight stations, 5 passenger train depots, 4 freight train depots, and 45 infrastructure maintenance stations to transport passengers, meeting dual-use requirements for national defense and security, and being able to transport goods when necessary.
The Standing Committee of the Economic Committee found that passenger stations in some localities are basically not located in urban centers (Ngoc Hoi station, Thu Thiem station, Nam Dinh station...).
Meanwhile, to ensure maximum efficiency for the project, the station locations must be arranged in a way that attracts the most passengers. Therefore, the agency requested clarification on the selection of station locations for the project.
There are suggestions to clarify the feasibility and effectiveness of calculating ticket prices at 60-70% of the average ticket prices of airlines operating on the same route and clarify how to calculate the total ticket price.
Compared with similar high-speed railways in other countries around the world, while Vietnam has not yet mastered the technology and has to import and invest in many items, it may lead to higher ticket prices than in reality.
