Mr. Nguyen Hoa Binh said that up to now, there have been about 4-5 domestic enterprises proposing to do the project and it is expected that there will be more.
In the coming time, the Government will develop clear, public, and transparent criteria for selecting private enterprises to carry out projects.
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Many private enterprises propose to participate in the North-South high-speed railway project. Photo: AI |
There have been 4 - 5 businesses applying for the project.
What is the significance of the National Assembly 's passing of the revised Railway Law in attracting private enterprises to invest in the North-South high-speed railway project, Deputy Prime Minister?
The policy of investing in high-speed railways in the form of public investment was approved by the National Assembly at the previous session. If we implement it in the form of public investment, everything will be implemented according to the National Assembly's resolution. However, recently, after the Politburo issued a Resolution on private economic development, in which the private sector is assessed as the leading force in innovation, technology application, productivity improvement and the ability to carry out key national projects, it is clear that the State needs a mechanism for the private sector to participate in implementing large-scale, strategic infrastructure projects.
In fact, in recent times, many large projects such as highways, renewable energy projects, large bridges, mountain tunnels, etc. have been carried out very well by private enterprises. They are fully capable of undertaking large-scale projects, including the North-South high-speed railway project.
Regarding the high-speed railway project, how many private enterprises have proposed to invest in implementation so far, sir?
After the project was approved by the National Assembly, especially after the Politburo and the National Assembly issued Resolutions on private economic development, up to now, 4-5 private enterprises have sent letters of proposal to the Government to implement the project.
I am sure that this number will increase in the future. The government welcomes these proposals, the more private enterprises participate the better. Not just 4-5 enterprises, if there are 10, 15 or 20 private enterprises proposing to do high-speed railway projects, it will be even better.
Laying the foundation for the railway industry
How do you assess the significance of the participation of domestic private enterprises in railway projects?
The North-South high-speed railway project is a “boost” for the economy. We cannot delay forever, we cannot travel forever on the current railway lines.
Therefore, the requirement when implementing the North-South high-speed railway is to be modern, approaching international standards. The project implementation process must prevent waste, price gouging; prevent “group interests”, negativity, “backyards” and shorten the construction time, quickly put the project into operation.
“The Government will develop clear and public criteria for selecting private enterprises to build the North-South high-speed railway, such as: financial capacity; ability to mobilize capital; construction experience, technological level, construction time and specific commitments. All of these criteria will be evaluated by the State Council, and announced publicly and transparently. There will be no “secret” to Mr. A or Mr. B.”
Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh
In practice, the two urban railway projects Cat Linh - Ha Dong (Hanoi) and Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien (HCMC) have left us with many lessons and experiences.
If we spend tens of billions of dollars but only get one route, the effectiveness will be very limited. What we need is not only a route to serve the people and economic development, but also to form a railway industry; train a team of skilled engineers, and master the technology. At the same time, through the project, we will promote the formation of an urban chain, in which each station is a cultural, tourism, industrial, and service center - creating a comprehensive development ecosystem.
Only by spending 60-70 billion USD to create such an ecosystem will we be truly successful. Just having one line is not enough. We cannot let the situation like the two current urban railway lines - even small breakdowns have to depend on outsiders.
If we continue to do things the old way, Vietnamese businesses will forever be subcontractors. We must change our thinking and our approach to master the future.
What needs to be done to achieve those goals, sir?
We need the right way, the effective direction. When many private enterprises proposed to participate, the Government proposed to the National Assembly to amend the Railway Law, adding other forms of investment besides public investment.
Previously, the law only allowed public investment, and through the two recent urban routes, it is clear that the old way of doing things had many problems. I am very happy that the Government's proposal has been approved by the National Assembly. Thus, the legal corridor is in place. Now is the time to evaluate which model is best: Public investment, public-private partnership, or completely private. The Government will consider it carefully and specifically.
Open, transparent, against "group interests"
How will the criteria for selecting participating private enterprises be developed, Deputy Prime Minister?
If we build a railway, it must be of international standards. From design, supervision to appraisal, everything must be done by international units, because we do not have enough experience. We must invite the most modern country to evaluate. The way to do it is to “stand on the shoulders of giants”, if we do not know, we must learn.
Therefore, in the coming time, the Government will develop clear and public criteria for selecting private enterprises to build the North-South high-speed railway, such as: Financial capacity; ability to mobilize capital; construction experience, technological level, construction time and specific commitments. All these criteria will be evaluated by the State Council, and announced publicly and transparently. There will be no "secret" to Mr. A or Mr. B.
The government expects not only a high-speed North-South railway, but also a modern railway industry, a cohesive ecosystem from North to South, contributing to sustainable development. We need to think further - not only building railways for Vietnam, but also aiming to implement them in other countries.
Thank you Deputy Prime Minister!
Open to private sector for high-speed rail
On the morning of June 27, with a majority of votes in favor, the National Assembly passed the amended Railway Law, officially paving the way for private enterprises to invest in railway projects. However, the Law stipulates that investors are not allowed to transfer projects, transfer project enterprises, capital, assets formed during and after investment to foreign organizations, individuals or organizations with foreign capital; Investors do not transfer all assets formed from the project to the State after the project's operating period expires.
In the Resolution of the 9th Session, the National Assembly agreed with the Government's proposal to add investment forms for high-speed railways. Accordingly, the National Assembly approved the addition of investment forms under the Investment Law in the form of public-private partnership and business investment under the Investment Law for the North-South high-speed railway project in addition to the form of public investment. The National Assembly assigned the Government to organize the selection of investment forms and investors according to regulations.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/chon-tu-nhan-lam-duong-sat-cao-toc-se-cong-khai-minh-bach-tieu-chi-lua-chon-post1755341.tpo
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