Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport (MoT) has hired French consultants to assess the final stage of Cat Linh - Ha Dong Urban Railway, the first metro project in Hanoi, to ensure its safety before the project goes live, local media reported.
Cat Linh - Ha Dong Urban Railway
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The MoT considers the project to be of special class, with specific characteristics and using high technology.
Regular checks have been conducted by relevant agencies, including the State Council for Pre-Acceptance Test for Construction Works and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
In the coming time, the MoT will enhance the inspection and control in terms of safety, progress and quality of works in order to put the railway into commercial operation at the soonest possible.
Earlier, at his appearance in the 14th National Assembly session on June 5, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The said his ministry was looking forward to putting the project into operation. As this is the first Vietnam’s urban railway work, safety must be the highest priority. “Commercial run of the project will begin right after consultants certify the safety of the project,” The said.
The US$886 million project was originally slated to begin operation in 2016 but multiple setbacks pushed the date for commercial operation to a yet unknown deadline.
On March 15, Deputy Director of the Railway Project Management Board Vu Hong Phuong said that the project’s construction volume is currently 99% completed, almost all supplies and equipment are at the construction site and 99% of them have been installed.
The railway is 13.5km long and uses standard-gauge rail track (1.435mm). The designed speed of the track reaches 80km/h and with the frequency of two minutes.
