Illustration of a station in the second phase of Metro Line No 5. (Photo courtesy of the HCM City Management Authority for Urban Railways) HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City is seeking 1.9 billion USD for the second phase of metro line No 5, whichextends from the new Can Giuoc Bus Station in District 8 to the Bay Hienintersection in Tan Binh District.
Le Nguyen Minh Quang,director of HCM City ManagementAuthority for Urban Railways (MAUR), said the city would seek investment from many sources,including ODA loans and loans through public-private partnerships.
“The city will try touse the capital effectively and prevent any waste,” he said.
Quang spoke at a recentmeeting held by the Korea Railroad Research Institute, the Korea InternationalCooperation Agency and MAUR.
Total investment forthe second phase is more than 2.4 billion USD, including construction cost andsite clearance.
Of the figure, the RoKgovernment has committed to financing 500 million USD while the remainder (1.9billion USD) will come from the Vietnamese Government.
The section willmeasure 14.56 kilometres, including 13 stations, eight of which areunderground. The second phase is an extension to the 8.89-km section in thefirst phase.
Hoang Nhu Cuong,deputy head of MAUR, said the metro line No 5 is an important line in thecity’s metro system as it passes through Nguyen Van Linh Street District 7 andthe Ben Luc-Long Thanh Expressway.
The second phase willconnect with metro line No 3b at the Hang Xanh intersection and metro line No 4at the Phu Nhuan intersection.
Park Noh Wan, the RoKConsul General in HCM City, said the RoK would transfer technology, exchange experiencesand cooperate with Vietnam, especially HCM City, to develop the metro systems.
Capital for the firstphase of the metro line No 5 has been arranged, but construction has yet tocommence.
MAUR has urged themunicipal authority to submit an investment proposal for the first phase to theGovernment and National Assembly for approval.
Investors have committedto fund the project at a cost of 1.56 billion USD.
The Spanish Governmentis investing 328 million USD, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) 567 million USD,the European Investment Bank (EIB) 179 million USD and the German DevelopmentBank (KfW) 239 million USD. The remainder will come from the Vietnamesegovernment.
The first phase of metroline No 5, with nine stations, will have a total length of 8.9 km, including7.46 km underground and 1.43 km above ground.
In the first phase, theline will connect with metro line No 1 at the Sai Gon Bridge and metro line No2 at the Bay Hien intersection.
The metro line No 5connects the Bay Hien intersection in Tan Binh District and Sai Gon Bridge in BinhThanh District.
The metro line No 5 willtransport passengers from outlying areas to the city centre, which is expectedto contribute to socio-economic development.
The line, expected to beput into operation by 2025, will be driverless, with automated ticketingsystems and smart cards.
HCM City hasplanned a total of eight metro lines, one tramway line and two monorail linesbut currently only metro Line 1 between Ben Thanh in District 1 and Suoi TienAmusement Park in District 9 is under construction. It is scheduled forcompletion in 2020.
The metro line No 1 hasa length of nearly 20 kilometres and consists of 14 stations, three of whichare underground. — VNA
VNA
