Hanoi’s Chairman Nguyen The Thao has urged contractors, including South Korean Daelim and Posco, to accelerate the construction of the Nhon-Hanoi Station Railway funded by the French government. The metro route, which is 12.5 kilometers long, including 4 km underground, was kicked off in September 2010 but it is moving at a snail’s pace due to slow site clearance and weak capacity of contractors. The city authorities asked the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board to work with French consultant Systra to quicken the project. Hanoi will consider replacing weak contractors, Mr. Thao added.
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 on schedule. (tienphong.vn Jun 20, Lao Dong – Labor Jun 19)
