Metro Line No1 in HCM City likely to be completed after 2021
The completion of Metro Line No 1 project in Ho Chi Minh City linking Ben Thanh Market in District 1 with Suoi Tien Tourist Park in District 9 is likely to be delayed to after 2021, the municipal Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) has stated.
According to a recent report of the MAUR on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on urban railway projects in the city, NJPT Association, the general consultant for the project, has repeatedly informed the investor about the impact, which may delay the construction and installation packages from 4-6 months and the package of equipment from 6 - 8 months.
Only 82% of the construction work was completed in 2020 due to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, 3% lower than the set plan. The reason behind the delay is that foreign experts could not arrive in Vietnam for working, the MAUR noted.
The authority is working closely with contractors to manage and speed up construction progress.
The US$2.05 billion Metro Line No 1 is the first of at least six to be built in the city and aims to ease traffic congestion in its north-eastern gateway.
Including four major bidding packages using official development assistance (ODA) and funds from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project is designed to have 14 stations, three of them underground.
There will be 17 three-carriage trains plying the route, running at a maximum speed of 110 km/h above ground and 80 km/h below ground.