Close-up of Hanoi metro mega project, missed 13 times, trains still in storage

TPO - Despite being 9 years behind schedule and missing deadlines 13 times, a reporter from Tien Phong newspaper observed on July 2nd that the project, with a total investment of over 30,000 billion VND, remains exposed to the elements, with the trains sitting in storage.

CLIP: Nhon Metro Depot in Hanoi is deserted, trains sit idle in storage.

The deadline of June 30th was set by the Prime Minister , who instructed the Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee to directly resolve the obstacles to get the trains operational, but this deadline was still not met.

On the morning of July 2nd, the entire elevated railway project from Cau Giay to Nho Son was deserted, with no trains running. This marks the 13th time the project has failed to meet its deadline for the people of Hanoi.

Many items and pieces of equipment, especially the rails and escalator tracks, have suffered from paint peeling, protective coatings, and rust due to prolonged exposure to sun and rain.

At the Nhổn depot (Bắc Từ Liêm district), although it is a stopping, starting, and turning point for trains operating on the line, there were no trains in operation this morning.

The entire 15-hectare Nhổn depot area was deserted on the morning of July 2nd.

Most of the trains are currently sitting idle in warehouses and storage facilities.

Meanwhile, traffic on National Highway 32, the section from Nhon to Cau Giay and vice versa, is congested with private vehicles, constantly causing traffic jams and making travel difficult.

The Nhon - Hanoi Station train during a test run on the project's tracks.

The project's investor, the Hanoi Urban Railway Management Board (MRB), stated that 10 trains for the project have completed trial runs and have been issued operating licenses by the Vietnam Register. However, the project is currently undergoing evaluation, assessment, and acceptance testing by specialized agencies, so the trains can only operate after this process is completed.

Construction began in September 2010 with a completion date set for 2015, but after 14 years (9 years behind schedule, 13 missed deadlines), the urban railway line is still not ready to carry passengers. The most recent missed deadline was June 30th.

Currently, the Nhon - Hanoi Station Metro project is also the urban railway project with the highest cost overrun among all projects under construction in Hanoi. Specifically, according to the approved investment at the start of the project, the cost was 18,408 billion VND (mainly ODA loans from the French Government ). To date, after several requests for adjustments, the total investment has increased to over 30,000 billion VND, a cost overrun of nearly 63%.

Previously, the Cat Linh - Ha Dong urban railway line was 6 years behind schedule, over budget by 45%, and missed its deadline 10 times.

News Reporting Team

Source: https://tienphong.vn/can-canh-sieu-du-an-metro-ha-noi-lo-hen-13-lan-tau-van-xep-kho-post1651367.tpo