Electrified railways: The optimal choice for Vietnamese railways, ensuring alignment with the green economic development trend and global railway standards

Abstract

Today, in the world, railway transportation uses two most common types of traction
power, which are electric traction and diesel traction. Railways that use electric traction are
called electrified railways. After more than a century of operation, HSR has become very
popular thanks to its outstanding advantages compared to railways using diesel traction,
especially in developed industrial countries. accounting for about 50% of the total length of the
national railway network. Meanwhile, in Vietnam in recent years, only three urban railway lines
using electric traction have been built. Faced with that situation, the problem for the
transportation industry is the need to quickly have a plan to apply electric traction to improve
investment efficiency while ensuring environmental safety and competitiveness of the industry.
Rail transport is in accordance with the National Strategy on Green Growth for the period 2021
- 2030, vision 2050 approved in Decision No. 1658/QD-TTg dated October 1, 2021 of the
Prime Minister... This article will introduce an overview of the current situation, economic -
technical efficiency and development trends of hydroelectric railways in the world, and then
provide recommendations for competent authorities on Planning and selection of traction
technology for sustainable development of Vietnam's railway transport.