Deputy PM inspects metro construction site in Ho Chi Minh City

ABO/NDO - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on June 29 visited the construction site of Ho Chi Minh City’s metro Line 1, also known as the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Line.

It is one of the projects funded by official development assistance in Vietnam’s southern economic hub.

Minh and municipal leaders went on an inspection tour at the High-Tech Park Station, Ba Son Station, Opera House Station and the tunnel connecting the Ba Son and Opera House Stations.

Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh is introduced to a model ticket vending machine at the Opera House Station. (Photo: The World and Vietnam Report).

During the tour, the Deputy PM discussed a number of obstacles to project completion with its owner and contractors, while praising their efforts to keep the construction on schedule.

According to the project management, the coronavirus pandemic has slowed the timeline for delivering the trains to Vietnam while experts’ travel plans to Vietnam have been affected.

They suggested the government introduce a special mechanism to allow the entry of experts so as not to slow down the progress of the entire project.

To date, about 73.5% of the construction work of Line 1, which covers 19.7 kilometres, including 2.6 kilometres of underground tracks, has been completed and contractors are aiming to complete 85% of the construction work by the end of 2020.

Under the general plan, Ho Chi Minh City will have an urban rail network of 8 metro lines and three tram or monorail lines, with a total combined length of 220 kilometres.

(Source: NDO)