HCMC – The Ministry of Planning and Investment has called for HCMC to clarify several matters related to a proposal for extending the completion date of Metro Line No.1.
Local authorities have been tasked with specifying a new timeline for the completion of the city’s first metro line and gathering feedback from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the funder of the project.
HCMC should also make sure whether the rescheduling would not impact the loan agreement with Japan.
City authorities should also calculate any extra costs which might be incurred when the completion date is pushed back further, and determine the parties responsible for covering these additional costs.
The city should ascertain the remaining workload and make a firm commitment to finish the project on a newly proposed date.
With a total investment of VND43.7 trillion, the 19.7-kilometer Metro Line No.1 links the iconic Ben Thanh Market in District 1 and Suoi Tien Theme Park in Thu Duc City. The project is now 97% complete.
The Management Authority for Urban Railways of HCMC (MAUR) recently wrote to the city government saying that Metro Line No.1 could not be put into commercial service in July this year as earlier planned.
MAUR said it would need more time to get fire safety systems and railway station safety certification done.
This marks the fourth time the deadline has been extended.
