NA deputies agreed to implement this project, but it may not start in 2014 and the construction of Hanoi-Vinh and HCM City-Nha Trang may not begin at the time proposed by the Government.

National Assembly deputies agreed to implement this project, but it may not start in 2014 and the construction of Hanoi-Vinh and HCM City-Nha Trang may not begin at the time proposed by the Government.

Controversies over North-South express railway project

The National Assembly will vote on the investment policy for this $56 billion project on June 19. On June 16 the National Assembly Standing Committee made statistics of its survey over deputies about this project before they vote on it.

The survey offered two questions. 1/ do you approve the investment policy for this project? If yes, which plan is approved? The one suggested by the Government or another one?

According to the proposal, experts will make a feasibility project for the entire route from Hanoi to HCM City. Two sections will be built first beginning in 2014, Hanoi-Vinh (282km) and HCM City-Nha Trang (382km), to be put into operation in 2025. The Vinh-Da Nang section will be done in 2030 and the whole route in 2035.

The other plan is that construction will be postponed. The Government will conduct feasibility research for one of the two sections, Hanoi-Vinh or HCM City-Nha Trang, to submit to the National Assembly for approval. One will be built before 2020.

According to the survey results, 474 deputies responded. Of them, 271 deputies agreed that the NA should issue a resolution on the investment policy for this project at this session. Some 148 deputies agreed with the government’s proposal.

Therefore, over half of the deputies (57 percent) agreed to approve the investment policy for the express railway project now, but only 30 percent supported the government’s plan.

Even when the National Assembly approves this policy on June 19, the north-south express railway project may be not implemented in 2014, but in some years before 2020. The two sections Hanoi-Vinh and HCM City-Nha Trang may also not be built at the same time.

PV