HCMC – The HCMC Transportation Works Construction Investment Project Management Authority (TCIP), the investor of the first bus rapid transit (BRT) line project in the city, has proposed replacing the line with a high-quality green bus route with a priority lane to take advantage of foreign loans.
The proposal was made after the municipal Department of Transport proposed pausing a plan to develop the first BRT line, the local media reported.
The solution will also help avoid the risk of any complaints by the contractor.
The green bus route will be 26 kilometers long, stretching from the An Lac Roundabout in Binh Tan District to the Rach Chiec Bridge in Thu Duc City and connected to the Ben Thanh transit station and the Cho Lon bus station.
According to TCIP, if the sponsors agree with the adjustment, a tender for the project will be held in September next year, and the bus route will be put into operation in June 2024.
The green traffic development project in HCMC or the first BRT line project was designed run along the Vo Van Kiet and Mai Chi Tho boulevards. In the initial stage, 42 buses would run on the BRT line.
The project would use an official development assistance loan worth US$121.2 million from the World Bank and VND423 billion from the local reciprocal capital. In addition, the Swiss Government would offer US$10.5 million for a project to provide technical support for the BRT line project.
