NA committee questions sluggish progress on metro projects
The National Assembly’s Economic Committee said the deployment and investment for metro lines in Hanoi and HCMC have been very slow, and requested parties to clarify the projects’ progress and expected completion.
At a Monday evaluation session regarding socio-economic development and the restructuring of the economy for the 2021-2025 period, Vu Hong Thanh, head of the Economic Committee, said that besides the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line in Hanoi which has already been put to use, other urban railway lines will need to clarify their current progress.
These lines include the Nhon-Hanoi Station (11.5 km), Hanoi-Hoang Mai (8.5 km), Van Cao-Hoa Lac (38.4 km) in Hanoi; and Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien (19.7 km), and Ben Thanh-Tham Luong (11.2 km) in HCMC.
The committee said the construction of infrastructure networks in coordination with certain structures is still slow.
In a previous report, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said the reimbursement of public funding for crucial traffic projects will be hastened in future, with priorities given to completing strategic infrastructures, like the north-south and the east-west expressways.
Ten urban railways have been planned for Hanoi by 2030, spanning 417 km, with 342 km of it elevated sections and 75 km underground.
The Cat Linh-Ha Dong line was launched in November 2021 after 10 years of construction. The Nhon-Hanoi Station line was supposed to have its elevated section operational at the end of 2022, but the goal was not realized. The Nam Thang Long-Tran Hung Dao line is proposing to adjust its C9 station near the Hoan Kiem Lake. The Hanoi-Hoang Mai and the Van Cao-Ngoc Khanh-Hoa Lac lines have been approved by the city for investment. The Yen Vien-Ngoc Hoi line is choosing its technical advisors.
Hanoi has also instructed the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board to prepare for work on the other lines: Nam Thang Long-Noi Bai, Tran Hung Dao-Thuong Dinh, Co Nhue-Ring Road 3-Linh Nam-Bat Trang-Duong Xa.
In HCMC, the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien is the first urban metro line to begin construction 10 years ago, with over VND43.7 trillion ($1.77 billion) investment. The line spans around 20 km, from the Ben Thanh Station in District 1 to the Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City. It has three underground stations and 11 elevated ones. The line is expected to be completed and put to use in July next year.
The Ben Thanh-Tham Luong metro line, with a total investment capital at around VND47.9 trillion, has seen its completion date pushed back to 2030, instead of 2026 as originally planned.
By Viet Tuan – VnExpress.net – October 23, 2023