The 20-kilometer Metro Line 1 will undergo full-line trial runs from Suoi Tien Station to Ben Thanh Station and vice versa.
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According to the Government Office’s announcement, urban railways play a crucial role in large cities, especially Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In the past, the Ministry of Transport and the two cities have actively endeavored to invest in and construct several pilot urban railway lines. However, only the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway line, inaugurated in 2021, is currently in operation, showcasing the initial effectiveness of this transportation mode.
The National Steering Committee for important national projects in the transport sector has periodically convened to provide vigorous direction, addressing challenges and bottlenecks to expedite the progress of these projects, including urban railway projects in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Nonetheless, the remaining lines are facing delays and have had to postpone their schedules multiple times, leading to increased total investment.
Urban railways are large-scale projects with demanding technical requirements, and land clearance poses significant challenges. As these projects are funded by ODA from donors, they necessitate numerous procedures and content. Therefore, close coordination and timely resolution of issues by relevant ministries, sectors, and local authorities are imperative. In addition to the ongoing investment in certain lines, there are 16 urban railway lines in the master plans of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City that have yet to be implemented. To achieve the goals outlined in Conclusion No. 49-KL/TW of the Politburo, the workload in the upcoming phase is substantial.
As the managing agencies, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City bear primary responsibility for ensuring the progress, quality, and efficiency of these urban railway projects. The Working Group performs the functions of directing, inspecting, and urging the implementation, as well as coordinating the resolution of critical inter-sectoral issues and removing obstacles or streamlining mechanisms, if any, during the process. The members of the Working Group are expected to fulfill their duties diligently and demonstrate a strong sense of responsibility in handling and resolving assigned tasks.
Strive to put the Nhon – Hanoi Station elevated railway section into operation by the end of June 2024
Regarding the ongoing urban railway projects in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the early completion and operation of the Nhon – Hanoi Station urban railway section in Hanoi and the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien urban railway section in Ho Chi Minh City are crucial and urgent tasks. The Deputy Prime Minister requests that the Hanoi People’s Committee take the lead in coordinating with relevant ministries and agencies to promptly finalize tasks, contents, and procedures, including system testing, system safety report, system safety certificate, fire protection acceptance, environmental approval, personnel training for operation and maintenance, and project acceptance. They should strive to put the Nhon – Hanoi Station elevated railway section into operation by the end of June 2024.
Hanoi People’s Committee is urged to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and the ADB to promptly finalize the procedures for signing the amendment to the capital allocation table to disburse funds for the underground section of the Nhon – Hanoi Station line in May 2024.
The Hanoi People’s Committee, in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, should complete the review of the project dossier as directed by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang in Document No. 2526/VPCP-QHQT dated April 16, 2024, of the Government Office. They should submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration of adjusting the investment policy for the Nam Thang Long – Tran Hung Dao urban railway line project in June 2024.
The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee should instruct and urge the investor, contractor, and relevant units to proactively address existing problems, especially with the contractor of Package CP3 of the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien urban railway line project. They should expedite the completion of the remaining construction items and coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to finalize tasks, contents, and procedures (system testing, system operation testing, system safety report, system safety certificate, fire protection acceptance, environmental approval, personnel training for operation and maintenance, and project acceptance) to ensure the commissioning of the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien line in December 2024.
Simultaneously, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee should review funding sources and capital arrangement plans and promptly work with the donors to complete the procedures for extending the loan agreement to implement the Ben Thanh – Tham Luong urban railway line project.
The Ministry of Transport should direct the Vietnam Railway Administration to coordinate closely with the investor to perform the evaluation and certification of system safety in accordance with its functions and tasks. As the specialized management agency, the Ministry should also coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee and relevant ministries and sectors to address existing problems related to the projects (if requested) to ensure their operation as per the plan and schedule.
The Ministry of Construction and the State Council for Construction Work Acceptance should work closely with the investor to conduct the acceptance inspection in accordance with regulations, ensuring quality and meeting the completion schedule of the projects.
The Ministry of Planning and Investment should coordinate with Hanoi to complete the procedures for adjusting the investment policy for the Nam Thang Long – Tran Hung Dao urban railway line project and report to the Government’s leaders in May 2024. They should also collaborate with Ho Chi Minh City to finalize the procedures for adjusting the implementation period of the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien urban railway line project in June 2024 and synthesize and advise the Government to report to the competent authority for consideration and allocation of additional medium-term public investment plan capital for the period 2021-2025 for the project.
The Ministry of Finance should work with the ADB to finalize the procedures for signing and amending the capital allocation table for the Nhon – Hanoi Station urban railway line project in May 2024. They should also coordinate with the Ministry of Justice to promptly complete the procedures for providing legal opinions and introducing signatures for disbursement as requested by JICA regarding the fourth loan agreement VN22-P1 under the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien urban railway line project in May 2024.
The Ministry of Public Security should direct the Fire Protection and Control Agency to coordinate with the investor to complete the procedures related to fire protection and control to meet the project completion schedule.
The members of the Working Group (the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) should direct their units to coordinate closely with the localities and guide and complete the relevant procedures during the implementation of the projects.
Adopting Advanced and Modern Urban Railway Technology
Regarding the Proposal for the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Network System until 2035:
In terms of content, the Deputy Prime Minister requests that the Hanoi People’s Committee and the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee fully absorb the opinions expressed by the agencies at the meeting and unify the contents of the Proposal. They should adhere to the viewpoints, objectives, and solutions outlined in Conclusion No. 49-KL/TW dated February 28, 2023, of the Politburo on the orientation for the development of Vietnam’s railway transport until 2030, with a vision towards 2045, noting the following:
(i) Adopting advanced and modern urban railway technology;
(ii) Ensuring the mastery of design, production, manufacturing, operation, and management, along with investment in forming the urban railway industry;
(iii) Ensuring the development of urban railway lines aligns with national industry strategies, regional plans, provincial plans, and urban plans, harmonizing with other transportation modes in infrastructure connectivity;
(iv) Conducting thorough and careful impact assessments, evaluating feasibility, and mobilizing all resources (central and local, PPP investment, etc.), while carefully considering the use of ODA and preferential foreign loans;
(v) Leveraging land resources through urban development around stations and along urban railway lines (TOD).
Regarding the Proposal dossier, the Deputy Prime Minister requests that the Hanoi People’s Committee and the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee urgently complete the Proposal (in accordance with the Regulations on the Working Regime of the 13th Central Committee of the Party and the Government’s Working Regulations), seek opinions from the Party Committee of the People’s Committee, the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, and submit it to the Ministry of Transport before May 28, 2024, for review and synthesis. The Ministry of Transport will take the lead in coordinating with the members of the Working Group, relevant ministries, and agencies to provide feedback and comprehensive explanations before submitting it to the Standing Committee of the Government in accordance with the Government’s Working Regulations.
Regarding the timeline for submitting the Proposal, the Ministry of Transport and the Hanoi People’s Committee and the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee should ensure compliance with the direction of the Party Committee of the Government in Document No. 2702/CV/BCSĐCP dated March 12, 2024.
