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Start date for Hanoi’s first metro route uncertain: Transport Ministry

admin — Sat, 28 Sep 2019 08:39:01 +0000

A Cat Linh Ha Dong Metro train runs on trial in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.

A date can’t be set for Hanoi’s first metro line to begin commercial operations as the Chinese contractor is yet to complete work.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong said at a press conference Friday that the ministry doesn’t want set a deadline only to miss it again, as has happened several times already.

When the Chinese contractor reports a deadline, the ministry will inform the public, he said.

The French consulting consortium Apave-Certifier-Tricc, which is responsible for evaluating the safety of the project, has finished six out of 14 reports required, Dong said.

Dong also admitted that the ministry made mistakes in designing, acquiring land and constructing the Cat Linh – Ha Dong elevated railway project as pointed out by state auditors in a recent report, resulting in years of delay and ballooning costs.

The deputy minister said further that the project’s losses are expected as its cost is 3-4 times that of a regular road project, but it still needs to be done for economic development.

The ministry is reviewing the roles of officials responsible for the delays as the State Audit Office has suggested and will hand out due punishments, he added.

Work on the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line began in 2011 and was originally scheduled for completion in 2013. But several hurdles, including loan disbursement issues with China that were only resolved in December 2017, stalled it for years.

The metro eventually entered the testing phase in March with all 13 cars carrying out trial runs on both lines. The ministry wanted commercial operations to begin at the end of April, but this deadline too was missed.

Project costs have more than doubled from the original VND8.8 trillion ($377 million) to VND18 trillion ($771 million), according to state auditors.

The line now has one percent work remaining, mainly outlook finishing, it has been reported. When complete, the first metro line will run 13 kilometers from Cat Linh Station in downtown Dong Da District to Yen Nghia Station in southwest Ha Dong District.

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Transport Ministry to blame for Hanoi metro delays: state auditors

admin — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 08:48:20 +0000

Two Cat Linh-Ha Dong trains leave the station in Hanoi during a trial run in September 2018. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.

The Ministry of Transport’s mismanagement in allowing piecemeal work has resulted in ballooning costs and prolonged delays, state auditors say.

The ministry (MoT) permitted contractors to make technical designs for each section of Hanoi’s Cat Linh – Ha Dong metro line separately as the line was being constructed, causing piecemeal work, delays, and quality risks, says Deputy State Auditor General Doan Xuan Tien.

The MoT also failed to evaluate all technical aspects of the project, causing planning to be changed multiple times. Furthermore, it conducted land clearance and handovers at a sluggish pace, slowing down the metro line, said Tran Hai Dong, head of the auditing team for the project.

“In the process of setting up the metro project, all phases from getting consensus on architectural plans, approving changes, clearing and handing over land, were delayed by 1-5 months. The delays caused labour and material costs to soar,” Dong said.

The State Audit agency also found that investors had not factored in operating costs, which would account for a large proportion of costs once the metro service began operation, in its financial evaluations. This resulted in an incorrect financial appraisal of the project and its costs, he added.

Work on the Cat Linh-Ha Dong elevated railway began in 2011 and was originally scheduled for completion in 2013. But several hurdles, including loan disbursement issues with China that were only resolved in December 2017, stalled it for years.

The original estimated cost of $552.86 million ballooned to more than $868 million, including $670 million in loans from China.

When completed, Hanoi’s first metro line will run from Cat Linh Station in downtown Dong Da District to the Yen Nghia Station in the south-west Ha Dong District.

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