HCMC – Five out of six urban railway projects in Hanoi and HCMC are lagging behind schedule.
The Transport Ministry is in charge of two lines — Cat Linh-Ha Dong and Yen Vien-Ngoc Hoi, and the HCMC People’s Committee is responsible for two lines — Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien and Ben Thanh-Tham Luong. Hanoi City is the investor of two lines — Nhon-Hanoi Station and Nam Thang Long-Tran Hung Dao.
The total investment in these urban railways has amounted to VND66,011 billion, with the projects in Hanoi accounting for VND36,602 billion and HCMC for the balance.
In Hanoi, the Transport Ministry approved Yen Vien-Ngoc Hoi, and Cat Linh-Ha Dong projects in 2008, with a respective cost of VND19,046 billion and VND18,001.5 billion.
The 13-kilometer Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line was put into service in October 2021, but the Yen Vien-Ngoc Hoi line using sophisticated technology is facing delays due to its critical location crossing the Red River and site clearance.
The Nhon-Hanoi Station metro line was approved by the Hanoi People’s Committee in 2009 with total capital of around 1.18 billion euros, comprising 10 bidding packages, nine of which need to have appendices to extend the implementation duration.
The Nam Thang Long-Tran Hung Dao section was approved by the Hanoi People’s Committee in 2008 with an investment of VND19,555 billion. At the moment, the municipal committee has asked the prime minister an extra VND16,123 billion as the project cost has risen to VND35,678 billion.
In HCMC, Metro Line No.1, known as Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien, was approved in 2007 by the city People’s Committee at a total cost of VND43,757.15 billion. By the end of 2022, 93% of the project will be completed, and construction will be completed by the end of next year.
Metro Line No.2, or Ben Thanh-Tham Luong, got approval in 2010 from the HCMC People’s Committee with an investment of VND47,890.84 billion. The committee, however, recommended that the Ministry of Planning and Investment seek approval from the prime minister to reschedule the completion date to 2030 given the current pace of the project.
