Accordingly, there are suggestions to consider extending the project scope to Can Tho and to amend and supplement the route length of about 2,110km from Lang Son to Ca Mau cape.

The Government said that with the goal of developing a synchronous and modern infrastructure, gradually realizing the Resolution of the 13th Congress, the Railway Network Planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050, it has planned to develop new railway lines on the North - South corridor from Lang Son to Can Tho, with a length of about 1,871km, including 3 routes: Lang Son - Hanoi, Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City and Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho.

The railway routes from Lang Son to Can Tho have different transportation needs, so the technical standards and types of railways are also different. The Lang Son – Hanoi route is a regular railway with a design speed of 160-200 km/h and is being planned in detail to mobilize investment capital; the Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City route is a high-speed railway.

The Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho route is a regular railway, with a design speed of 160-200 km/h. Investment preparation is underway and is expected to begin before 2030.

Therefore, the Government proposed to maintain the scope of the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City.

The North-South high-speed railway project will have a total length of about 1,541km; starting point at Ngoc Hoi station (Hanoi capital), ending point at Thu Thiem station (HCMC), passing through 20 provinces and cities: Hanoi, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Dong Nai, HCMC.

Regarding the reason for choosing a train speed of 350 km/h instead of 200-250 km/h to carry both passengers and goods, the Government knows that the choice of speed has been carefully and comprehensively researched, synthesizing experience in developing high-speed railways around the world.

Train speeds of 200-250 km/h were developed about 50 years ago and were popular about 25 years ago, suitable for short and medium routes.

Speeds of 350 km/h and higher are the development trend in the world, suitable for routes of 800km or more, concentrating many urban areas with high population density such as the North - South corridor of our country.

World experience shows that with a route length of more than 800km, a speed of 350km/h is more attractive and has the ability to attract a higher number of passengers than a speed of 250km/h. According to the consultant's calculation, the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route with a speed of 350km/h has the ability to attract about 12.5% ​​more passengers than a speed of 250km/h.

Notably, the investment cost for a speed of 350 km/h is about 8-9% higher than that for a speed of 250 km/h. However, if investing in a speed of 250 km/h, upgrading to a speed of 350 km/h is difficult and ineffective.

Therefore, the Government recommends choosing a design speed of 350 km/h to meet the criteria of being modern, synchronous, having a long-term vision, effective, and suitable for geo-economic conditions.

In response to the proposal to consider the route from Phu Ly station to Ninh Binh station, the Government said the route plan has been carefully studied.

The route was studied to ensure compliance with national sector planning, regional planning and provincial planning; during the research process, 3 options were also proposed for analysis, comparison and selection.

As the southern center of the Northern coastal region, Nam Dinh City has a planned population of about 600,000 people by 2040, and is a traffic hub with large transportation needs. The region attracts neighboring localities in the Red River Delta such as Thai Binh, Hung Yen... with a population of about 4 million people.

According to forecasts, by 2050, the demand for travel to and from Nam Dinh station will be about 3 million passengers/year.

If calculating the investment and operation costs for 30 years, the section through Nam Dinh (12km) will cost about 1.66 billion USD, with estimated benefits of 2.06 billion USD.

World experience has shown that there are many cases where high-speed railways go around major centers to attract passengers, instead of going straight like in Japan, Korea, China, etc.

The investment policy for the high-speed railway project on the North-South axis is expected to be approved by the National Assembly tomorrow.

High-speed railway project through Nam Dinh will generate profits of about 400 million USD

It is forecasted that by 2050, the demand for travel to and from the high-speed railway station through Nam Dinh will be about 3 million passengers/year. The investment and operating costs for 30 years will be about 1.66 billion USD while the benefits are estimated at about 2.06 billion USD.

Minister of Transport: There are opinions that high-speed railway will be behind schedule like metro

Faced with concerns that the North-South high-speed railway project will be over-budget and behind schedule like the urban railway (metro), Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang said he has carefully studied the causes.

The 'success or failure' factor when building the North-South high-speed railway

Mobilizing capital from non-budgetary sources requires transparent policies and strict management to avoid long-term financial risks. This is the most important content to ensure the "success or failure" of the project and towards the sustainable development of the country.