Society

Vietnam's urban trains behind schedule

The progress of urban train projects have not met public expectation, said Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai during a recent meeting to review the progress of urban train projects in Hanoi and HCM City.
Vietnam's urban trains behind schedule ảnh 1The construction of the Hanoi Urban Railway Project in Cau Dien  (Photo: VNA)

The progress of urban train projects have not met public expectation, said Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai during a recent meeting to review the progress of urban train projects in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The Deputy PM said there were a number of factors that contributed to the sluggish progress including slow land-site clearance, investors and project management boards' limited capability and a lack of cooperation between ministries, Government agencies and local authorities.

HCM City's metro Line 1 Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien, which started in August 2012, is estimated to have fallen behind schedule about two years. The date of completion is currently set for 2020.

HCM City's metro Line 2 Ben Thanh-Tham Luong, which began earlier this year in January was already two years behind schedule and is now set to be completed in 2019 after several changes were made to accommodate junctions with other metro lines such as Line 1, 3b, 5 and 6.

Similar delays were also seen with the Hanoi's Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban train project. The project, which was started in 2011, has been delayed a total of three times with the current date of completion pushed to the end of June 2016.

Major adjustments were made to these projects' investment cost. The Line 1 metro project's investment cost more than doubled from 1.09 billion USD in 2007 when it was approved to 2.49 billion USD in September 2011. The Line 2 project's investment cost also increased from 1.375 billion USD to more than 2 billion USD.

Most notable was the capital's infamous urban train project with the China Railway Sixth Group as EPC contractor. The investment cost for this project increased from 552 million USD in 2008 to 892 million USD in 2014 and suffered numerous delays and several deadly accidents.

Deputy PM Hai urged Hanoi and HCM City People's Committees to speed up land-site clearance and the Ministry and Transport to improve project management capacity as well as design.

The deputy PM said there was a need for special mechanisms that delegate decision making power to avoid unnecessary delays and bottlenecks.

In addition, the transport ministry was ordered to step up efforts on the preparation of urban train operations, regulation standards, technical maintenance as well as traffic and worker safety.-VNA

VNA
#urban train projects #land-site clearance #metro #delays #sluggish progress Ha Noi Ho Chi Minh City
Follow VietnamPlus

Related News

HCM City requests quality for metro project

HCM City requests quality for metro project

Quality must be given top priority at the ongoing construction of the Urban Railway Line 1 connecting Ben Thanh Market and Suoi Tien Theme Park, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City’s Party Committee Le Thanh Hai said.
Transport Minister Dinh La Thang has said the construction of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong Railway Project should be speeded up so that commercial operations could begin by June 30, 2016. — Photo ktdt.vn

Hurry up call for urban skytrain in capital

Transport Minister Dinh La Thang has said the construction of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong Railway Project should be speeded up so that commercial operations could begin by June 30, 2016.
Railway development plan passed

Railway development plan passed

The Prime Minister recently approved adjustments to a master plan on railway development through 2020, with a vision toward 2030.

See more

Delegates at the SEAN Future Forum NextGen Workshop 2026 held in Jakarta, Indonesia on March 9 (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam contributes youth perspectives to AFF NextGen initiative

The ambassador expressed confidence that fresh perspectives, innovative thinking and lessons drawn from the workshop will be proposed to AFF 2026, representing the voice of the younger generation in shaping ASEAN’s future in line with their aspirations.

A young volunteer donates blood during the 2026 Red Sunday programme. (Photo: VNA)

Nearly 5,000 people join blood donation campaign in Ho Chi Minh City

According to health authorities, Vietnam collected nearly 1.75 million units of blood in 2025, with 98% from volunteer donors, equivalent to around 1.75% of the population participating in blood donation. Large-scale campaigns such as Red Sunday have played a key role in achieving these results.

More than 30 kilogrammes of various drugs trafficked from Cambodia to HCM City were seized in a police operation in March 2025. (Photo: VNA)

Ho Chi Minh City aims to become drug free by 2030

Every commune, ward or residential area in Ho Chi Minh City is expected to meet official drug-free standards by the end of 2029, while schools, hospitals, government offices, businesses and social organisations across the city are to remain free of drug activity.

Military forces take a resident from a flooded area. Photo: VNA

Da Nang, Oxfam join hands to support flood victims

In the coming time, the Da Nang Red Cross Society will continue to coordinate with Oxfam to implement support activities in Nong Son commune, helping residents overcome difficulties and stabilise their livelihoods.

Training on response to reservoir incidents (Photo: VNA)

Central Civil Defence Fund established to bolster disaster response

The Central Civil Defence Fund is authorised to receive, manage and use voluntary contributions from domestic and foreign entities and individuals, plus transfers from provincial civil defence funds in line with the PM’s decisions and allocations from relevant state financial sources outside the state budget, all earmarked for incident and disaster response and recovery efforts.

Vietnamese women shine in the traditional Ao dai (Photo: VNA)

March shines with elegance of “Ao dai”

In early March, scenes of women in flowing Ao dai taking spring photos by lakes, parks, offices, temples and historical sites have become a familiar sight on the streets of Hanoi. Social media is also filled with images and stories surrounding the elegant attire, which has become a symbolic signal of the season dedicated to honouring women.

Hanoi voters learn about candidates’ biographies and action programmes. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi thoroughly prepares for NA, People’s Council election

According to the municipal Election Committee, the capital city has established election committees in 126 communes and wards. In addition, 11 electoral boards for National Assembly deputies, 31 electoral boards for the city-level People’s Council, 831 commune-level electoral boards and more than 4,000 polling teams have been set up to serve the election process.

Artisan Vu Van Vinh from Chuyen My commune introduces to visitors a set of mother of pearl inlaid lacquer furniture including a platform bed, tea cabinet, and lacquered horizontal boards and parallel sentences made by his family, worth more than 3 billion VND. (Photo: VNA)

Four Hanoi craft villages join global creative crafts network

The recognition is not only a source of pride for the capital but also creates opportunities to promote these craft villages globally, strengthen international connections, and support their sustainable development in the process of global integration.

Vietnamese women affirm growing role in national economy

Vietnamese women affirm growing role in national economy

Vietnamese women have long been an indispensable force in the country’s socio-economic development. Today, they are present across a wide spectrum of economic activities, from production, trade and small-scale services to innovative start-ups, collective economic development, the digital economy, green growth, the circular economy and financial inclusion.