Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked the Vietnam Railways Corporation (VCR) to develop a long-term development strategy with the aim of becoming a strong economic group in future.

During a working session with the VCR management board on March 26, Mr Dung praised the corporation for its efforts to overcome difficulties and operate efficiently in 2008. The corporation earned more than VND6,800 billion in revenue from transport services, a year-on-year increase of 16 percent. It still held 10 percent of the country’s transport market and generated steady jobs for 42,000 labourers.

In 2009 he asked the corporation to examine its production and business plans to save investment capital, stabilise transport costs, improve services, increase the quality of manufacturing carriages and locomotives and pay due attention to personnel training.

He also urged the corporation to upgrade the existing system of rail tracks and prepare for new projects including those to build urban metro routes and a North-South express railway line.

VietNamNet/VOV