Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the seventh meeting of the Steering Committee for key national railway projects in Hanoi on March 3.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting.

The meeting was held in person and virtually connected with cities and provinces where railway projects are underway.

In his opening speech, PM Chinh, who is head of the committee, said 2026 marks the 145th anniversary of Vietnam’s railway sector, but very few new railway lines have been built over the decades, with some routes even discontinued.

While several urban railway projects are underway in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam has yet to develop a comprehensive and modern railway network.

According to him, Vietnam still lacks a railway manufacturing base and therefore remains far from self-reliance in the sector. This gap, he said, demands fresh thinking and stronger resolve to pursue greater autonomy while enforcing uniform standards and technical regulations across the system.

The committee was urged to uphold a spirit of responsibility, boldness and innovation in developing railway system with unified standards and shared infrastructure.

The PM outlined five strategic benefits from advancing major railway projects: establishing a critical foundation to sustain GDP growth of 10% or higher in 2026 and beyond, reducing logistics costs and boosting the global competitiveness of Vietnamese goods, alleviating urban traffic congestion in major cities; unlocking new development corridors for urban areas, industrial parks and economic zones; and fostering supporting industries together with a viable domestic railway industrial ecosystem.

To this end, he directed that railway projects must follow the principle of digitalistion, green transition, efficiency optimisation, smart governance, and balanced interests among the State, citizens and businesses.

He also stressed a strict timeline discipline: no day wasted, no week delayed, no monthly missed opportunities, and no annual passivity.

The Government leader urged a thorough review of tasks assigned at the previous meeting, focusing on progress updates, existing bottlenecks and key lessons learned.

He requested focused efforts to accelerate major projects, including segments 1 and 2 of the Lao Cai–Hanoi–Hai Phong railway line, rail connectivity and cross-border railway links with China, feasibility study for the North–South high-speed railway, urban railway lines in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, construction of the Gia Binh–Ha Long and Lang Son–Hanoi lines, and a railway industrial complex.

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