Workers paving the deck of Kỳ Lộ River Bridge, part of a component project of the North-South Expressway. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Transport and its specialised agencies, with investors and contractors, are ramping up efforts to meet government deadlines for key transport infrastructure projects, ensuring they are completed on schedule, some in just a couple of weeks.

At a meeting on Thursday, Minister of Transport Trần Hồng Minh reviewed November’s progress and outlined priorities for December.

With the immense workload and a large number of projects, he called on all units to work tirelessly, even extending their efforts into the evenings, to meet critical targets set for December and early 2025.

The minister emphasised the importance of resolving challenges to meet the Prime Minister’s goal of completing 3,000km of expressways.

For the Long Thành International Airport project, he expressed concern over delays in subprojects 3 and 4, instructing the establishment of a task force to address bottlenecks.

Deputy Minister Lê Anh Tuấn was tasked with conducting regular inspections to accelerate progress, with the ultimate goal of synchronising the project by the end of 2025.

On the Cần Thơ-Cà Mau expressway, the minister called for innovative approaches to reduce construction time for weak soil treatment without compromising quality.

“Shortening the timeline means saving both time and money,” he said.

He also urged swift action on critical connectivity projects, such as the expansion of the HCM City-Long Thành expressway and the Trung Lương-Mỹ Thuận expressway under the PPP model.

Delayed projects, such as the Hà Nội-Yên Viên-Phả Lại-Cái Lân railway, were also given priority.

Regarding the North-South high-speed railway, Minister Minh directed an acceleration in the selection of consultants for feasibility studies, and called for strengthened project management capacity following recent restructuring efforts.

He proposed learning from nations with advanced high-speed rail systems and suggested the creation of a chief engineer or principal architect role to oversee the project’s execution.

For the Lào Cai-Hà Nội-Hải Phòng railway project, the minister reiterated the need to begin construction in 2025 as planned.

He urged agencies to finalise investment plans to facilitate negotiations with partners and expedite implementation.

Additionally, Minister Minh highlighted the importance of ensuring transport safety during the year-end period, Tết, and the upcoming festival season.

He stressed that safety measures should be prioritised at all times, not just during peak periods.

By the end of November 2024, the Ministry had disbursed VNĐ52.75 trillion (US$2.2 billion), achieving 70 per cent of its annual target and surpassing the national average of 60.4 per cent.

In the road sector, the ministry successfully gained National Assembly approval for the Gia Nghĩa-Chơn Thành expressway project and initiated seven new projects, including the Rạch Sỏi-Bến Nhất and Gò Quao-Vĩnh Thuận sections, which will complete the HCM Road from north to south.

It finalised the last components of the North-South Expressway’s 2017-2020 phase, bringing the country’s total expressway length to 2,021km.

Plans to achieve the 3,000km expressway target by 2025 are on track, with some sections expected to be completed between three and nine months ahead of schedule.

In maritime and inland waterway infrastructure, the ministry launched the first phase of a project to raise clearance for bridges over national waterways in the southern region and completed upgrades to shipping channels in Nam Nghi Sơn and Cái Mép-Thị Vải.

The transport sector saw continued growth, with freight volumes increasing by more than 14 per cent and passenger numbers rising by over 8 per cent compared to the same period last year. Passenger turnover recorded nearly 12 per cent growth, reflecting the sector’s strong recovery. — VNS