According to the leader of the Vietnam Railways Corporation (VNR), currently import and export goods transported by rail connecting to China is still performing well, despite signs of overload, but can still support export. agricultural products to share with congested roads. However, goods via railway must be official import and export.
In the morning of December 29, the Ministry of Transport held a meeting to find solutions to remove difficulties in rail freight transport, especially a solution for railways to participate in supporting export transport that is stagnant at road border gates with China.
Dang Sy Manh, General Director of VNR, said that according to the rail transport agreement, all goods traveling by international rail must be imported and exported through official channels, while unofficial exports cannot be transported by railway.
However, according to Mr. Manh, there are now signs of congestion at border gates and inland stations on the Yen Vien – Dong Dang route. There are more than 600 Chinese train carriages waiting to go to Vietnam. The stations around Hanoi are already overloaded because the capacity of the airport cannot meet the demand.
Stations on the North-South route are also not convenient for transporting containers from the South to the North, as well as for exporting to China by rail.
Therefore, VNR recommends the Ministry of Transport to report to the Government for solutions to support infrastructure investment, increase the capacity of loading and unloading of cargo yards at stations such as: Kep, Dong Anh, Yen Vien… Container transport by rail, reducing load for Dong Dang and Lao Cai stations.
VNR also proposed the Ministry of Transport to report to the Government to work with the Chinese side to allow quarantine activities at Bang Tuong station to receive agricultural products and fruits from Vietnam by rail. At the same time, it is recommended that the General Department of Customs arrange staff and overtime to handle procedures for import and export goods by railway.
In the long term, in addition to infrastructure investment, VNR recommends adding international intermodal terminals in the central and southern regions, so that import and export goods by rail can go through customs procedures inland. , contributing to reducing congestion at border stations.
Ministries and sectors need to guide enterprises to switch to import and export in the form of official channels to shorten customs clearance procedures and time as well as transport exports by rail.
Transport Minister Nguyen Van The said that currently, the road border gates with China are congested with trucks carrying export goods, while goods passing through border railway stations are still smooth. That shows the advantages of rail transport, not only goods across borders but also goods to Europe. Therefore, it is necessary to find solutions to solve difficulties and create momentum for freight transport to develop.
Mr. The also requested the Vietnam Railways Corporation to proactively propose specific solutions and mechanisms and report to the Ministry of Transport for the ministry to report to the Government, including a proposal to invest in and upgrade a number of stations serving the city. international freight.
For domestic transport, it is necessary to review and identify a number of existing stations that have land funds or can be expanded and upgraded, and warehouses and warehouses should be upgraded into cargo gathering points for railways and proposed investment mechanisms. Maybe VNR invests 100%, or joins, associates, calls for capital, in the immediate future it can be found at some stations.
In 2021, international rail freight increased by 34% in volume compared to the previous year, of which via Dong Dang station (Lang Son) increased by 82%. The railway has organized intermodal trains carrying import and export containers connecting directly between Vietnam and Europe. Open more trains specializing in container routes to Chinese cities. Goods going by railway are mainly ores, chemicals, electronic goods, textiles, accessories, consumer goods…
Source: Cafef.vn
