The Ministry of Transport has proposed extending the Cat Linh – Ha Dong urban railway line, the first of its kind in Hanoi, by about 20 km, from Ha Dong district to Xuan Mai town, Chuong My district, local media reported.According to a report sent to the National Assembly (NA), the first stretch of Cat Linh - Ha Dong metropolitan line is under construction with about 14 kilometers long and a total of 12 stations and one depot at Yen Nghia ward, Ha Dong district.
An aerial photo of the Cat Linh – Ha Dong urban railway line in Hanoi. Photo: TT
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The Cat Linh - Ha Dong line has almost been complete but has not been put into operation, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The said in a report sent to the ongoing NA session.
He added that the government also intends to expand the urban rail network in Hanoi to urban satellite areas and the total length is expected to reach 305 kilometers.
However, the Cat Linh – Ha Dong urban railway line is still a big mess of construction one year after launching its first test run in September 2018, and the official launch date of the line has been uncertain.
Its construction commenced in October 2011 at an initially approved cost of US$552.86 million, partially funded by China’s official development assistance (ODA).
In early 2014, the project’s investment was raised to US$868.04 million, forcing Vietnam to take an additional ODA loan of US$250.62 million from China.
The project missed its commercial launch on December 2016, and the Vietnamese transport ministry in December 2017 requested a further delay to the first quarter of 2018 due to setbacks during its construction.
The launch was delayed again in March 2018 to an unspecified new date in 2021.
