Hanoi’s Vice Chairman Nguyen Van Khoi on Dec 19 urged district authorities to promptly hand over cleared site for the Nhon-Hanoi Station Railway to quicken the project, which was kicked off four years ago. The railway will stretch 12.5 kilometers to link Nhon and Hanoi Station, comprising 8.5 kilometers of elevated railway and a four-kilometer underground section. The cost of the project was estimated at EUR783 million in 2008 with EUR293 million expected to be sourced from the Asia Development Bank (ADB), EUR250 million from the French government, EUR110 million from the French Development Agency (AFD), EUR73 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB). However, its cost was recently estimated by the city’s Department of Planning and Investment to have risen by EUR400 million. The Nhon-Hanoi Station is part of a pilot metro line whose construction began on Sept 25, 2010. Construction is slated for completion in 2016, but it is unlikely to be completed timely. (An Ninh Thu Do –Capital Security Dec 20 p4, Kinh Te Do Thi –Urban & Economy Dec 20)
