Vietnam Quickens Site Clearance for EUR1.17B ADB-funded Railway in Hanoi

Authorities of Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi have asked the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board to work with agencies to boost compensation and resettlement and complete site clearance for the Nhon-Hanoi Station urban railway on April 30. Hanoi will continue cutting down trees to accelerate the site clearance for the project, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Quoc Hung was quoted by the state-run Lao Dong newspaper as saying. The railway, which stretches 12.5 kilometers and has 12 stations, is slated for completion in November 2019. The project had an estimated investment of EUR783 million ($841 million) in 2008 with EUR293 million sourced from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), EUR250 million in ODA from the French government, EUR110 million in ODA from the AFD, EUR73 million in ODA from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The estimated cost of the railway has risen by EUR393 million to EUR1.17 billion. ADB has approved a $65 million loan to cover additional construction costs for the project while the Vietnamese government has approved a EUR69 million credit agreement with the AgenceFrançaise de Développement (AFD). (laodong.com.vn Mar 12)