The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Vietnamese government Oct 13 signed a $293 million loan agreement for construction of an urban railway to reduce critical traffic congestion in Hanoi. The agreement was signed by State Bank of Vietnam Governor, Nguyen Van Binh, and ADB Country Director for Vietnam, Tomoyuki Kimura, state media reported. The ADB-supported 12.5-km metro route 3 will run 3.6 km underground with 8.9 km of elevated and transition track. It will stretch from Hanoi station, through Cau Giay, to Nhon. The metro railway, also funded by the French government and the European Investment Bank, is an integral part of the first of four priority metro lines planned for the capital’s metropolitan area. Scheduled to be completed in 2015, Nhon-Hanoi station urban railway is expected to transport initially more than 150,000 people a day, and almost half a million a day by 2030. “The metro rail project will support efforts of Hanoi’s authorities to solve traffic congestion more efficiently and substantially reduce green house gas emissions, ensuring the capital’s sustainable socioeconomic development,” said Kimura. (Tuoi tre – Youth Oct 14 p2, Lao dong – Labor Oct 14 p3, Phap luat Vietnam – Vietnam Law Oct 14 p11)
