Spanish firm signs metro deal

Idom Ingenieria Consultoria of Spain will provide technical assistance to determine the feasibility of two planned suburban railway lines in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to contracts signed Friday in the city, the Spanish firm will prepare feasibility studies for metro lines No. 5 and No. 6 within 12 months in collaboration with the HCMC Management Board for Urban Railways.

Financed with gratis aid from the Spanish government, the two feasibility studies are projected to cost €1.26 million (US$1.7 million).

Line No. 5 will traverse the 20 kilometers between Can Giuoc Bus Station in District 8 and Thu Thiem New Urban Town in District 2 across the river and be able to carry 352,000 passengers a day.

The six-kilometer Line No. 2 will link Ba Queo in Tan Binh District and Phu Lam Junction in District 6 and have a daily capacity of 100,000 travelers.

By the year 2020, traffic-plagued HCMC plans to build six metro lines and three monorails totaling 107 kilometers in length at an estimated cost of $7.5 billion.

Minh Quang

thanh nien

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