PM Pham Minh Chinh checks progress of Nhon-Hanoi Station urban railway

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visits Terminal S8 on Cau Giay street of the Nhon-Hanoi Station urban railway. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Elevated sections of the urban railwayfrom Nhon to Hanoi Station must be completed before December 31, 2022, said PrimeMinister Pham Minh Chinh during a meeting with contractors and leaders of concernedministries and Hanoi on August 7.

The meeting aimed to seek ways to resolve challengeshampering the progress of one of the most critical infrastructure projects inHanoi. Construction of the railway started in 2008 and was initially planned tofinish in 2015.

The double-track railway is 12.5km long, with the elevated sections spanning 8.5km and the remaining 4km underground. Only 75% of the work has beencompleted, with investment doubling to more than 34 trillion VND (over 1.45billion USD).

The Hanoi People’s Committee, consultants and contractors areheld responsible for the project’s extended delays, PM Chinh said, adding thatthere has been a lack of coordination between the municipal People’s Committee andconcerned ministries and units.

The deadline for the underground parts must be shortened,probably by half of the proposed 2027, and additional funding must not be sourcedfrom ODA but the State budget instead, he ordered.

PM Chinh and his entourage on board a train as part of his trip to check the Nhon-Hanoi Station railway project on August 7. (Photo: VNA)

The PM later assigned Standing Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh as headof a working group responsible for removing barriers for the project anddemanded the Ministries of Finance, Public Security, Transport, andConstruction to coordinate with the Hanoi People’s Committee in boosting itsprogress.

“We must use experience acquired from implementing thisproject for others, particularly those aiming to expand Hanoi’s developmentspace,” PM Chinh said.

Prior to the meeting, PM Chinh paid a field trip to several components ofthe project, including underground Terminal S9 on Kim Ma street, elevated TerminalS8 in Cau Giay street and the depot area./.

VNA