Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on October 5 order specific and special mechanisms be devised for the North-South high-speed railway project so that procedures are streamlined and construction duration shortened.He made the request while chairing a meeting between permanent Government members and ministries, sectors to discuss investment in the North-South high-speed railway project and the implementation of railway projects connecting with China.The Ministry of Transport (MoT) proposed the North-South route of Vietnam should be 1,541km long, have a designed speed of 350km per hour, and comprise 23 passenger stations and five cargo ones.It should run through 20 provinces and cities, starting at Ngoc Hoi station in Hanoi and end at Thu Thiem station in Ho Chi Minh City. Total investment is estimated at 67.34 billion USD.Source: Vietnam News Agency