Second metro line project to drag on for another 5 years
VGP - The Ha Noi People's Committee has proposed to extend the completion period of the Nhon-Ha Noi Station urban rail project, the city's second metro route, for another five years and increase the investment capital by VND1.9 trillion (US$80.5 million).
The Nhon-Ha Noi Station urban rail project
The committee said at a session of the municipal People's Council on September 12 that the elevated stretch of the route could be completed in late 2022 and the entire metro line will be inaugurated in 2027.
The Hanoi People's Committee said that increasing the total investment budget was a necessity due to changes in exchange rates and the readjustment of initial designs and technical requirements. Multiple delays in the project have led to changes to the original schedule.
Besides, it blamed difficulties in cleaning up the site, the incompetence of contractors and consultants, inconsistencies between international contracts and Vietnamese laws, and the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic for the delay.
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has caused the interruption in the importation of equipment and the mobilization of experts from Europe. This has led to lengthy equipment bidding and rising costs.
The delay in site clearance and relocation of technical infrastructure has also affected the project's progress. There are bidding packages that are 5-6 years behind schedule for not having cleared land.
Work on the city's second metro railway project started in 2009 and was initially scheduled for completion in 2022, but construction progress has been delayed for the above-mentioned reasons.
Hanoi's second metro line will run 12.5 kilometers from Nhon in the western district of Nam Tu Liem via Kim Ma Street to the downtown Hanoi Railway Station (one of Vietnam's major train hubs), with eight elevated stations and four underground.
The trains are expected to operate at 35 kilometers per hour on average and 80 kilometers per hour at maximum, the same speed as metros in Paris, Berlin and various cities in Asia.
The project is funded by official development assistance loans from the French government, French Development Agency, Asian Development Bank, European Investment Bank, and domestic counterpart funds.
Last month, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked relevant agencies to seek funding from the state budget to cover the additional costs incurred on the Nhon-Ha Noi station subway line, rather than official development assistance (ODA).
The capital city's first metro route, Cat Linh - Ha Dong urban railway, also Viet Nam's first one, became operational last November./.
