The Nhon - Hanoi Station metro line is expected to be completed by December 31, 2022, and contractors are requested to halve the construction time of the underground section, originally scheduled for 2027.
| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and leaders of Hanoi during the visit. Source: VGP |
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh urged to accelerate the metro line construction during a site visit today [August 7].
The Nhon – Hanoi station metro project with financial backing from the French Government, the French Development Agency (AFD), and the European Investment Bank (EIB) has a total length of 12.5 kilometers, running through eight elevated and four underground stations.
| Prime Minister Chinh and delegations on board a train. |
A report from the Hanoi Project Management Board of Urban Railway noted the metro line project was launched in September 2010, and so far has been completed by 75%, in which 95% of the elevated section (Nhon – Cau Giay) has been finished.
Difficulties during the implementation process, however, have delayed the project beyond the original 2016 deadline and its investment costs doubled to VND34 trillion (US$1.45 billion).
The delay is attributed to sophisticated technologies that were first used in Vietnam and inexperience from parties involved in the project; difficulties in fulfilling obligations from donors and financing agreements; and issues related to the site clearance process.
| The PM at the S9 - Kim Ma station. |
During the visit, Chinh called for drastic measures to address the remaining issues and draw lessons for similar projects in the future.
A joint declaration between Vietnam and France during the prime minister’s visit to France last November suggested the elevated part of the project should be completed by December 2022, and the financing agreement revised to proceed with the underground section (Cau Giay – Hanoi station) after 2022.
Regarding a potential increase in the total investment capital, Chinh said the Government would consider using the state budget finance instead of seeking ODA loans, due to complicated procedures.
Once completed, the metro line would have eight trains operating at the same time at an average speed of 35 kilometers per hour.
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