Speaking at a regular press briefing on January 30, Deputy Construction Minister Nguyen Danh Huy commented on reports that a major enterprise had asked to withdraw from participation in the north south high speed railway project.
Nguyen Danh Huy said the government’s position was to mobilise all available resources, while ensuring feasibility rather than pushing responsibility and risk onto businesses.
“It is not possible to transfer all the difficult aspects to enterprises while the state avoids responsibility. Experience with public private partnership models shows that if a project is not financially viable, enterprises cannot be forced to participate,” he said.
The construction ministry said a full feasibility study is required before reliable data on total investment, effectiveness and investment models can be provided. At the pre feasibility stage, there is not yet sufficient information to assess financial efficiency, technical issues or technology choices.
The ministry is seeking leading global consultants in high speed rail to study technical solutions and route alignment, before evaluating and selecting suitable investors.
A decision has been issued assigning Thang Long project management board as the project investor. The board is responsible for preparing the feasibility study for the north south high speed railway, ensuring quality, progress and cost control, and working with relevant agencies to absorb and reuse previous research results as effectively as possible.
The north south high speed rail project has a preliminary total investment of about USD 66.7 billion and a total length of 1,541 kilometres. The line will start at Ngoc Hoi Station in Hanoi and end at Thu Thiem Station in Ho Chi Minh City.
Under the plan, the entire route will include 23 stations, including five freight stations. The government aims to begin construction on two priority sections, Hanoi to Vinh and Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang, in 2026. Remaining sections are scheduled to start from 2028, with the full line largely completed by 2035.