Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh led the seventh session of the Steering Committee for significant national railway initiatives in Ha Noi. This meeting took place both in person and virtually, with connections established to cities and provinces where railway projects are currently being carried out.
During his inaugural address, Prime Minister Chinh, chairing the committee, highlighted the significance of the 145th anniversary of Viet Nam's railway sector in the year 2026, noting a lack of significant expansion in railway infrastructure over the years, resulting in the abandonment of certain routes.
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While various urban railway initiatives are currently in progress in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam still faces the challenge of establishing a comprehensive and contemporary railway network.
In his opinion, Viet Nam is still without a robust railway manufacturing foundation, hindering its ability to achieve self-sufficiency in this industry.
He stressed the significance of innovative strategies and a firm commitment to advancing autonomy, along with the need to establish consistent standards and technical regulations throughout the sector.
The committee was encouraged to maintain a sense of accountability, courage, and creativity in the advancement of the railway system, ensuring consistency in standards and collaboration in infrastructure.
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The Prime Minister elucidated on five strategic advantages that would result from progressing major railway projects: laying the groundwork necessary to maintain a GDP growth rate of 10 percent or more beyond 2026, lowering logistics expenses and enhancing the international competitiveness of Vietnamese products, easing congestion in urban traffic hubs, opening up new development routes for urban regions, industrial zones, and economic enclaves, and promoting auxiliary industries alongside a sustainable domestic railway industrial framework.
Thus, he instructed that railway initiatives should adhere to the concepts of digital transformation, sustainable practices, operational streamlining, intelligent management, and equitable representation of the State, public, and corporate sectors.
He emphasized the importance of adhering to a strict timeline, ensuring that each day is utilized efficiently, no deadlines are postponed, no opportunities are missed each month, and no passivity is exhibited over the course of a year.
The Government leader emphasized the need for a comprehensive reassessment of the tasks assigned during the previous meeting, with a focus on providing updates on progress, identifying existing bottlenecks, and sharing key lessons learned.
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He called for concentrated efforts to expedite significant projects, which include segment 1 and 2 of the Lao Cai–Ha Noi–Hai Phong railway line, enhancing rail connectivity and establishing cross-border railway connections with China, conducting a feasibility study for the North–South high-speed railway, developing urban railway lines in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City, constructing the Gia Binh–Ha Long and Lang Son–Ha Noi lines, and establishing a railway industrial complex.