Workshop discusses measures to develop transport infrastructure

Measures to promote the development of transport infrastructure in the Northwestern region were discussed at a workshop, jointly held by the Steering Committee for the Northwestern Region and Ministry of Transport (MoT), in Hanoi on July 20.

Illustrative image. Photo: Huu Chi

The event was attended by Head of the Steering Committee for the Northwestern Region Nguyen Van Binh, Minister of Transport Truong Quang Nghia and Standing Deputy head of the Northwest Steering Committee Hau A Lenh, along with delegates from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, The State Bank of Vietnam and 14 northwestern provinces.

The conference aims to assess the current situation of transport network in the region, review the master plan and development plan until 2020, with orientations to 2030 as well as solve difficulties and propose measures to develop transport infrastructure in region.

Addressing the workshop, Head of the Steering Committee for the Northwestern Region Nguyen Van Binh stressed that developing transport infrastructure in the Northwestern region is important to enhancing socio-economic development in addition to security and national defense in the region and the country.

Over the past years, traffic in the Northwest region has been improved thanks to many projects, which were completed and put into operation, especially the expressway projects.

The region has completed 3,718 of the total 6,730 km of highway. The railway system has a total length of about 700 km. Five waterway routes in the region, including Hanoi - Viet Tri - Lao Cai, Viet Tri - Tuyen Quang, Hong Da - Hoa Binh, Pha Lai - Da Phuc, Pha Lai - A Lu, connected the region with other provinces in the Red River Delta.

However, the participants agreed that the transportation infrastructure system in the area still did not meet the demand and did not create strong enough momentum for socio-economic development.
Head of the Central Economic Committee Nguyen Van Binh agreed with the opinions and suggestions of representatives from ministries, sectors, localities, deciding to place focus on nine solutions and proposals for the development of transport infrastructure in the northwest region to 2020.

He also asked localities in the region to take initiative in balancing the budget and mobilise legal capital sources to implement projects in line with capacity.

For urgent projects, in cases where the localities cannot be balanced with local budgets, they should propose to the Prime Minister for support from the central budget and coordinate with the MoT in implementing investment projects.

(Source: NDO)