HCMC – The first metro line project in HCMC is projected to be completed at the end of the last quarter of 2023 instead of in the last quarter of this year.
The HCMC government on April 20 proposed that the Ministry of Planning and Investment should seek the prime minister’s approval for the revision of the deadline for the project, linking Ben Thanh Market in District 1 to Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City, Tuoi Tre Online newspaper reported.
To date, the project is 88.5% complete, so the planned completion must be adjusted.
According to the HCMC government, there are many reasons for the delay, mainly the Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition, negotiations on the appendix No. 19 of the consulting contract between the investor of the project—the Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) of HCMC—and the consulting unit of HCMC’s first metro line project—NJPT have taken time due to changes in the regulations during the estimated cost calculation, verification and approval.
The project relates to many sectors, is the first one of its kind in Vietnam, involves many international contracts and passes through many regulation revisions. Therefore, the project must be conducted in a cautious manner to ensure compliance with the regulations of other countries and international practices.
If the city gets the prime minister’s approval, it will direct the MAUR to complete dossiers and submit them to the appraisal council established by the municipal government.
The first metro line project in HCMC was designed to be 19.7 kilometers long and requires an estimated investment of VND43.7 trillion.
