The first set of rail tracks and sleepers were installed yesterday on the above-ground stretch of HCM City’s first metro line No 1 from Ben Thanh Market to Suoi Tien Theme Park (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNA)- The first set of rail tracks and sleepers were installed on October 24on the above-ground stretch of HCM City’s first metro line from Ben ThanhMarket to Suoi Tien Theme Park.
The entire 17-km section will be completed by the end of next year with 150m ofrails installed every three days, according to the HCM City ManagementAuthority for Urban Railways (MAUR).
The tracks and sleepers are among the items of a bidding package to purchaseelectromechanical equipment, locomotives, coaches and rail tracks manufacturedby Japanese contractor Hitachi.
The package has finished the design of 10 out of 11 items and is in productionin Japan with 22 per cent of the work completed, according to MAUR.
Locomotives and coaches are expected to be transported to HCM City in mid-2018,it said.
Tuyen urged MAUR to work closely with the consultants and contractors to speedup construction progress so that the metro can start operation in 2020 whileensuring safety and quality of the project.
Akito Takahashi, deputy head of the Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA) Vietnam Office, said JICA was willing to disburse from the committed ODAfor the project.
However, Takahashi expressed concern over the delay in payment to thecontractors due to insufficient funds from the central government.
He said that JICA appreciated HCM City authority for temporarily arranging thebudget to reduce the debt pressure of contractors during the past months.
“We respectfully request that the Vietnamese Government take drastic measuresto address the issue of capital replenishment as soon as possible,” said AkitoTakahashi.
In addition, the first metro tunnel running from Ba Son Station to theMunicipal Theatre in District 1 will be finished next week, two months ahead ofschedule, according to MAUR.
The installation of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) began in March andtunnel construction in May, it said.
The entire tunnel is expected to be completed by mid-2018.
The HCM City’s metro route No 1 connects Ben Thanh Terminal in District 1 withSuoi Tien Terminal in District 9.
The metro line will have 19.7km of track, of which 2.6km are underground (withthree stations) and over 17km are above ground (with 11 stations), passingthrough District 1 through District 2, District 9 and Binh Thanh and Thu Ducdistricts and Binh Duong province.
Construction started in August 2012, with the line expected to open in 2020.
After years of delays due to numerous adjustments, the cost of the project hasrisen to more than 47 trillion VND (2.49 billion USD), according to MAUR.-VNA
The entire 17-km section will be completed by the end of next year with 150m ofrails installed every three days, according to the HCM City ManagementAuthority for Urban Railways (MAUR).
The tracks and sleepers are among the items of a bidding package to purchaseelectromechanical equipment, locomotives, coaches and rail tracks manufacturedby Japanese contractor Hitachi.
The package has finished the design of 10 out of 11 items and is in productionin Japan with 22 per cent of the work completed, according to MAUR.
Locomotives and coaches are expected to be transported to HCM City in mid-2018,it said.
[First HCM City metro line to get tracks next month]
Speaking at the ceremony, Tran Vinh Tuyen, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’sCommittee, said: “The first metro line plays an integral part in the city’ssocio-economic development, helping improve the city’s public transport systemto connect the city with provinces in the southern region.”Tuyen urged MAUR to work closely with the consultants and contractors to speedup construction progress so that the metro can start operation in 2020 whileensuring safety and quality of the project.
Akito Takahashi, deputy head of the Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA) Vietnam Office, said JICA was willing to disburse from the committed ODAfor the project.
However, Takahashi expressed concern over the delay in payment to thecontractors due to insufficient funds from the central government.
He said that JICA appreciated HCM City authority for temporarily arranging thebudget to reduce the debt pressure of contractors during the past months.
“We respectfully request that the Vietnamese Government take drastic measuresto address the issue of capital replenishment as soon as possible,” said AkitoTakahashi.
In addition, the first metro tunnel running from Ba Son Station to theMunicipal Theatre in District 1 will be finished next week, two months ahead ofschedule, according to MAUR.
The installation of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) began in March andtunnel construction in May, it said.
The entire tunnel is expected to be completed by mid-2018.
The HCM City’s metro route No 1 connects Ben Thanh Terminal in District 1 withSuoi Tien Terminal in District 9.
The metro line will have 19.7km of track, of which 2.6km are underground (withthree stations) and over 17km are above ground (with 11 stations), passingthrough District 1 through District 2, District 9 and Binh Thanh and Thu Ducdistricts and Binh Duong province.
Construction started in August 2012, with the line expected to open in 2020.
After years of delays due to numerous adjustments, the cost of the project hasrisen to more than 47 trillion VND (2.49 billion USD), according to MAUR.-VNA
VNA
