Nhon - Hanoi Railway project misses deadline for 13th time

Trains of Nhon-Hanoi Station Metro have not yet carried any passengers due to delays in the project. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – The Nhon-Hanoi Station Urban Railway (metro) project has yet to transport any passengers, despite plans to commence commercial operations in June.

This is the 13th delay for the project that began in September 2010 and was originally slated for completion in 2015.

However, after 14 years of construction, the urban railway line can still not carry passengers.

The most recent operational plan, announced by the Hanoi Urban Railway Management Board (MRB), was set for June.

According to tienphong.vn, this plan was proposed after the operational progress of the trains in December, as directed by the Prime Minister, was not achieved.

Specifically, on August 7 2022, the Government Office issued a document stating: "The Prime Minister directs the Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee to resolve the issues and put the elevated section of the Nhon - Hanoi Station Railway into operation by the end of 2023."

Following that missed deadline, a representative of the MRB told tienphong.vn that the board was completing the final procedures to commence commercial operations (passenger transport) before 30 June.

However, as of today, the Nhon – Hanoi metro has yet to take a single passenger.

An MRB representative stated that the construction of the elevated section has been completed one hundred per cent and ten passenger trains of the project have also completed trial runs.

In mid-June, the project received technical safety certification from the Vietnam Register for commercial operation as planned in the second quarter.

However, the project is currently being reviewed, inspected, and accepted by the relevant authorities to issue a safety certificate, after which it will be eligible for commercial operations along the elevated section.

With 13 delays and a nine-year delay in making any progress, the Nhon – Hanoi Metro project is also the highest-cost overrun project among the urban railway projects under construction in Hanoi.

The approved investment at the start of the project was 18,408 billion VND (726 million USD) which is primarily funded by French Government ODA, but after several adjustments, the total investment has now increased to over 30,000 billion VND, an overspend of nearly 63%.

Previously, the Cat Linh - Ha Dong urban railway project experienced a six-year delay, a 45% cost overrun and ten missed deadlines./.

VNA