Deputy Prime Minister Suggests Operating Two Metro Projects in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City by the End of 2024

According to Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà's directive, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City aim to start operating the Nhổn - Hanoi Station elevated metro section by June 2024 and the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien line by December 2024. Currently, there are still 16 urban railway lines in the planning stages for both cities that have yet to be implemented.

Nhổn - Hanoi Station Elevated Section to be Operational by the End of June 2024

Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the significant role of urban railways in major cities, particularly Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Over the years, the Ministry of Transport and the two cities have actively and diligently invested in the construction of several pilot urban railway lines. To date, only the Cat Linh - Ha Dong metro line No. 2A has been operational since 2021, initially demonstrating the effectiveness of this transportation method.

The National Steering Committee on important national projects and key transport projects meets regularly to direct, resolve difficulties, and accelerate the progress of projects, including urban railway projects in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. However, the remaining lines are delayed, with progress being postponed multiple times, increasing the total investment.

Urban railway projects are large-scale, technically demanding, and involve challenging land clearance work, using ODA funds from donors, which require numerous procedures and protocols. Therefore, these projects necessitate close coordination and timely resolution from various ministries, sectors, and localities.

"To achieve the goals set forth in Conclusion No. 49-KL/TW of the Politburo, the workload in the coming period is substantial. As the primary responsible agencies, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are chiefly accountable for ensuring the progress, quality, and effectiveness of urban railway projects," the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.

Aside from the lines currently under construction, there are still 16 urban railway lines in the planning stages for both cities that have yet to be implemented.

The task force will oversee direction, inspection, and monitoring of the implementation, coordinate to resolve significant, cross-sectoral issues, and address difficulties, clearing policy obstacles during the process.

Task force members are expected to fulfill their roles effectively and demonstrate a high level of responsibility in handling assigned tasks.

For ongoing urban railway projects in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the early completion and operation of the Nhổn - Hanoi Station section and the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien line, serving the public, is a crucial and urgent task.

The Deputy Prime Minister requested the Hanoi People's Committee to lead, coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to promptly complete necessary work and procedures such as system trial operation, safety report, safety certification, fire protection acceptance, environmental approval, operational and maintenance personnel training, project completion acceptance, etc.

Efforts are being made to put the Nhổn - Hanoi Station elevated section into operation by the end of June 2024.

Simultaneously, the Hanoi People's Committee is urged to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and ADB donors to finalize procedures for signing amendments to the loan allocation for disbursing funds for the Nhổn - Hanoi Station underground section in May 2024.

The Hanoi People's Committee is also required to work with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to complete the review of documents as directed by Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang in Document No. 2526/VPCP-QHQT dated April 16, 2024, and submit to the Prime Minister for approval of the investment policy adjustment for the Nam Thang Long - Tran Hung Dao urban railway project in June 2024.

Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien Line to be Operational by December 2024

The Deputy Prime Minister also tasked the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee with directing and urging the investor, contractors, agencies, and relevant units to proactively and actively resolve issues, particularly for Package CP3 of the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien urban railway project, and expedite the completion of the remaining components.

The Deputy Prime Minister requested the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to lead, coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to complete necessary work and procedures: system trial operation, system safety report, safety certification, fire protection acceptance, environmental approval, operational and maintenance personnel training, project completion acceptance, etc., to ensure the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien line is operational by December 2024.

Additionally, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee should review funding sources and plans for arranging and using loan funds, promptly work with donors to complete procedures for extending loan agreements, and develop plans to complete the Ben Thanh - Tham Luong urban railway line.

The Ministry of Transport is instructed to direct the Vietnam Railway Department to collaborate with relevant parties closely with the investor to carry out system safety assessment and certification tasks.

As a specialized ministry, the Ministry of Transport will continue to coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and relevant ministries and sectors to resolve issues related to projects, ensuring timely and scheduled operation.

The Ministry of Construction and the State Inspection Council for construction project acceptance will work closely with the investor to carry out inspection and acceptance tasks according to regulations, ensuring quality and meeting project deadlines.

The Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment to cooperate with Hanoi to complete procedures for adjusting the investment policy for the Nam Thang Long - Tran Hung Dao urban railway project and report to the government in May 2024; coordinate with Ho Chi Minh City to complete procedures for adjusting the implementation time of the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien urban railway project in June 2024, and aggregate and advise the government to arrange additional mid-term public investment plans for the 2021-2025 period for the project.

The Ministry of Finance is tasked with working with ADB donors to complete procedures for signing and amending the loan allocation for the Nhổn - Hanoi Station urban railway project in May 2024; coordinate with the Ministry of Justice to complete procedures for legal opinions and signature introductions for capital withdrawal as requested by JICA for Loan Agreement No. 4 of the VN22-P1 loan for the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien urban railway project in May 2024.

Regarding the urban railway network system proposal for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City until 2035, the Deputy Prime Minister requested both cities to fully absorb opinions from agencies at the meeting, unify the proposal's contents, and adhere to the views, objectives, and solutions stated in Conclusion No. 49-KL/TW dated February 28, 2023, of the Politburo on the development orientation of Vietnam's railway transportation until 2030, with a vision to 2045.

In this context, attention should be paid to: (i) selecting advanced and modern urban railway technology; (ii) ensuring mastery from design, production, manufacturing to operation and management, associated with investment, and forming an urban railway industry; (iii) developing urban railway lines in line with national, regional, provincial, and urban planning strategies, ensuring harmony with other transportation methods in infrastructure connectivity; (iv) fully and thoroughly assessing impacts, feasibility, mobilizing all central and local resources, investing through PPP methods, carefully considering the use of ODA and concessional foreign loans; (v) exploiting and mobilizing land resources through urban development along stations and urban railway lines (TOD).

For the proposal documents, the Deputy Prime Minister requested the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City People's Committees to promptly complete the proposal, seek opinions from the Party Committee of the City People's Committee, the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee, and submit it to the Ministry of Transport before May 28, 2024, for review and aggregation.