Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has called for drastic measures to accelerate construction of a railway built by China Railway Bureau Group 6 in Hanoi. Mr. Hai made the request on Dec 28 while inspecting the construction site of the railway running from Cat Linh Street in Dong Da district and Yen Nghia bus station in Ha Dong district. The metro route is 12.5 kilometers long, including 4km underground. The project has a total capital of about $1 billion and has been built with consultancy services from France’s Systra. The elevated railway with 12 stations is expected to allow vehicles to travel at a maximum speed of 80 km per hour. A lack of experience and the poor capacity of the developer and Project Management Unit overseeing the engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) contract were blamed for the project’s slow progress. Site clearance has been a major problem. (chinhphu.vn Dec 28, Saigon Giai Phong Dec 29, An Ninh Thu Do Dec 30 p7)
