National Assembly deputies on Nov. 23 queried a number of hot transportation issues related to the North-South Railway Express, infrastructure, traffic jams and the restructure of the Vietnam Shipping Industry Group (Vinashin).

Regarding the North-South Railway Express project, Transport Minister Ho Nghia Dung said his ministry would not invest in the project as the NA refused to approve earlier this year. However, he said, in accordance with the Prime Minister’s instruction, the ministry would continue studying the feasibility of the project.

“We will not study the whole route but only several sections such as a flyover railway on the third belt road connecting the centre of Hanoi to the Noi Bai Airport, and sections from Hanoi to Thanh Hoa and Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City,” he said, adding that all works are now only studying and developing project.

Dung also answered deputies’ queries on punishment to contractors that caused traffic jams and accidents during their construction process, the effectiveness of the Ho Chi Minh Highway, and plans to develop coastal roads combined with sea dyke system to cope with climate change and tides.

Regarding the near-bankrupt shipbuilder Vinashin, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung, head of a steering board to oversee Vinashin’s restructuring process, assured that it would be able to pay off its debt of 86 trillion VND (42 billion USD).

According to him, the restructure began in 2008 by withdrawing Vinashin’s investment capital and reducing its projects from 185 to 28 and focusing on only 13 projects.

He said the shipbuilder was making progress in both production and sales. It’s 28 shipbuilders have resumed operation and this year, Vinashin will build 66 vessels to earn almost 600 million USD, the Deputy PM said, affirming that the group would gross revenues of around 14 trillion VND (6.83 billion USD) and would reap benefit from 2013./.