Property
Two causes for delaying test run of Cat Linh-Ha Dong railway
It is expected that the urban railway of Cat Linh - Ha Dong will run technical tests on September 2, 2018, after it missed a scheduled test in October.
The Railway Project Management Unit proposed the Ministry of Transport ask for Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s approval for the rescheduling. The rescheduling means the project will be 11 months delayed from the plan that was adjusted in February 2017.
The railway will operate on a trial basis for three to six months, starting from September 2, 2018, and be put into use in November 2018. This project has been rescheduled three times so far.
In early 2016, the Transport Ministry asked the China Railway Sixth Group Co. Ltd, the engineering – procurement – construction contractor of the project, to test the railway in September 2016 and launch it by December 31, 2016. As the project lagged behind schedule as of June 2016, the ministry ordered the construction be finished by December 31, 2016.
However, this target was missed, forcing the Transport Ministry to postpone the test run until October 2017 so as to put the railway into operation in the late first quarter or early second quarter of 2018. The project failed to meet this deadline once again.
The sluggish progress is attributable to various reasons, including slow capital disbursement and the contractor’s limited capacity.
The Cat Linh - Ha Dong urban railway project was started by the Ministry of Transport on October 10,2011, with a total investment of $ 552.86 million, including ODA from the Chinese Government and reciprocal capital of the Vietnamese Government.
In early 2014, the project was proposed by the stakeholders to adjust the total investment from $522.86 million to $868.04 million, an increase of $315.18 million compared to the initial investment.
The government has agreed to borrow an additional $250.62 million from China in order to allocate the majority of the project's total investment, while the rest will be funded by counterpart funds from Vietnam.
the urban railway of Cat Linh - Ha Dong. Photo: Anh Trong
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In early 2016, the Transport Ministry asked the China Railway Sixth Group Co. Ltd, the engineering – procurement – construction contractor of the project, to test the railway in September 2016 and launch it by December 31, 2016. As the project lagged behind schedule as of June 2016, the ministry ordered the construction be finished by December 31, 2016.
However, this target was missed, forcing the Transport Ministry to postpone the test run until October 2017 so as to put the railway into operation in the late first quarter or early second quarter of 2018. The project failed to meet this deadline once again.
Overview of the urban railway project of Cat Linh - Ha Dong
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The Cat Linh - Ha Dong urban railway project was started by the Ministry of Transport on October 10,2011, with a total investment of $ 552.86 million, including ODA from the Chinese Government and reciprocal capital of the Vietnamese Government.
In early 2014, the project was proposed by the stakeholders to adjust the total investment from $522.86 million to $868.04 million, an increase of $315.18 million compared to the initial investment.
The government has agreed to borrow an additional $250.62 million from China in order to allocate the majority of the project's total investment, while the rest will be funded by counterpart funds from Vietnam.
