HCMC – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh and a working team on June 29 supervised the progress of HCMC’s first metro line, which links Ben Thanh Market in District 1 with Suoi Tien Theme Park in District 9.
Accompanied by representatives of the HCMC government, Minh and the working team visited the construction sites of Saigon Hi-Tech Park Station, Ba Son Underground Station and a tunnel connecting Ba Son and Opera House stations, VietnamPlus news site reported.
Speaking during the on-site inspection, Deputy PM Minh, who is also a Politburo member, expected relevant units and contractors to continue their work on the project so it can be put into operation as scheduled.
Bui Xuan Cuong, head of the Management Authority for Urban Railways of HCMC, said that HCMC’s metro line system is planned to comprise eight metro lines with a total length of 220 kilometers and three tramways or monorail lines.
The city needs an estimated US$25 billion to develop the entire metro line system, he added.
The first metro line is 73.5% complete, Cuong said, adding that the contractors, engineers and workers are trying to complete 85% of the workload this year.
However, the process of shipping metro trains to Vietnam and the return of foreign experts to the country have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, he noted.
The authority proposed that the Government consider making special rules for foreign experts so they can enter Vietnam for work to ensure the project is on schedule.
