Vietnam should forget about high speed railway until 2030
An expensive high-speed railway is a nice dream, but let’s get real and build better roads between provinces first.
On a visit to California, I discovered that the western U.S. state had kept pending a high speed rail proposal since 1996 due to funding cuts made by the federal government.
In the U.S., while the business sector and community institutions remain dynamic, the public sector has creaking old bones and its inherent problems are exposed.
The country’s traffic infrastructure is well developed and high speed rail can hardly compete with other means of transportation. Roadways are good enough for commuting. Long distance commuters have flying as their top choice. The railway is at its best in cargo transportation. These means of transportation work efficiently and the construction of a high speed rail system would probably lead to a big waste of federal funds.
Huynh The Du
