Minister urges official operation of Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway hinh anh 1The 13 kilometre railway will have 12 stations and one depot area. It is set to operate trains with carrier frequency of every two minutes and a maximum speed of 80 kilometres per hour. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Transport Minister Nguyen Van The has asked for the prompt operation of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong elevated urban railway in the capital city of Hanoi, saying that it is of important significance for cooperation between Vietnam and China.

The made the request at a working session with Tang Hong, executive manager of the project, who represents the China Railway Sixth Group Co. Ltd - the engineering – procurement – construction (EPC) contractor, in Hanoi on December 24.
 
He affirmed that the ministry will direct the department of construction and transport works quality management and the management board for railway projects to coordinate with relevant agencies in Hanoi to in helping the contractor check and take over the work in the earliest time in line with legal regulations.

The minister asked the contractor to complete its dossiers on origin of equipment and materials and completion of each part of the project so that the railway can be put into operation soon.

After hand-over, the contractor should continue support for human resources training to ensure the smooth and safe operation of the project, he said.

At the working session, Tang mentioned several difficulties in putting the work into operation on schedule, saying they come from different viewpoints and legal regulations in procedures between the two nations. He expressed his wish that the minister will create conditions for the contractor to address these difficulties.

The Cat Linh-Ha Dong railway began a trial run on September 20. According to the project’s management board, the trial run will last 3-6 months until the railway is ready for official operation.

The Cat Linh – Ha Dong railway project has total adjusted investment of more than 20 trillion VND (886 million USD) sourced from official development assistance loans from China.

The 13 kilometre railway will have 12 stations and one depot area. It is set to operate trains with carrier frequency of every two minutes and a maximum speed of 80 kilometres per hour.-VNA
VNA