|
Work begins on city's first metro
Construction has kicked off on Ha Noi's first light metro line. The US$1billion line will run from Nhon in Tu Liem District to Ha Noi's Railway Station in Hoan Kiem District. The metro line is the largest public transportation project that the city has ever undertaken.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung highlighted the project's importance during a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday. He said the new metro line would aid the capital city's construction and development, while increasing the city's public transportation capacity and easing traffic congestion in the inner city.
He also urged the municipal authorities to join with relevant agencies to expedite other public transport projects.
The 12.5km Nhon-Ha Noi Railway Station section is part of metro route No.3, which will be 20km in length. The pilot is one of five metro lines approved by the Prime Minister as part of the city transportation development plan that will be completed by 2020. Ha Noi would develop three more light metro routes in the future, said Ha Noi People's Committee Chairman Nguyen The Thao.
Thao said upon its completion, the metro line, which is expected to carry 300,000 passengers a day, would improve the city's public transport capacity and ease the heavy traffic congestion in the city's western area.
Unlocking the gridlock
The rapid increase in the number of two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles have seriously hampered the city's transportation infrastructure.
Traffic jams are common in the city's inner district, especially in the East-West corridor linking Nhon to the city centre, reports Ha Noi Moi (New Ha Noi) newspaper.
A tunnel boring machine (TBM) will be used to build the line's tunnel, which will mitigate the impacts of the project's construction.
There will be 12 stations along the line. Each four-carriage metro is capable of serving more than 900 passengers and will be able to travel at a maximum speed of 80 km per hour. Total travel time is expected to take about 20 minutes.
The metro line is slated to be operational by late 2015 and will be built with consultancy services from France's Systra - International Consulting Engineers for Rail and Urban Transport.
vietnamnews
|
