Hà Nội’s urban railway line 2 project to be completed by 2031

The perspective of the urban railway line, connecting Nam Thăng Long Urban area to Trần Hưng Đạo Street.—Photo baogiaothong.vn

HÀ NỘI — The implementation time of the Hà Nội’s urban railway line 2 project, connecting Nam Thăng Long Urban area to Trần Hưng Đạo Street, is to be completed by 2031 instead of 2015 as per the initial plan.

The reason for adjusting the project implementation time is that the process of reviewing, examining and appraising the project adjustment has lasted from 2012 until now, but has not been completed, so the construction and equipment packages of the project have not been implemented.

Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the progress and implementation timeline of the project to suit the current circumstances.

Hà Nội has scheduled the completion and commission of the project by 2029, followed by an additional two years for operational and maintenance training.

It was part of Proposal No 275 submitted by the city administration to Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính to review and approve adjustments to the investment plan for the Hà Nội Urban railway line 2 project.

Dương Đức Tuấn, deputy chairman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee, said due to the longer than expected process of implementing procedures of the project, such as having to change the location of station C9 and changing regulations on public investment and debt, means plans must be adjusted to fit the current reality.

According to the document, the proposed total length of the project is 11.5km, consisting of 8.9km of underground track and 2.6km of elevated track, with a fleet of ten trains, each comprising four carriages.

Compared to Decision No 2054, issued on November 13, 2008, by the Hà Nội People’s Committee, while the overall length of the project remains unchanged, modifications have been made to the length of the underground section (increased from 8.5km to 8.9km) and the elevated section (reduced from 3km to 2.6km). Additionally, the number of trains has been decreased from 14.

Another adjustment concerns the estimated total investment for the project, which is proposed to rise to VNĐ35.58 trillion (approximately JPY200.74 billion/US$1.42 billion), an increase of VNĐ16.03 trillion (JPY95.5 million/$642 million) since 2008.

Of this, Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Special Terms for Economic Partnership (STEP) will amount to JPY167.07 billion, equivalent to VNĐ29.67 trillion ($1.19 billion), up by VNĐ13.187 trillion ($527 million).

Hà Nội’s own contribution from its budget is set at VNĐ5.9 trillion (around JPY33.665 billion/$235 million), an increase of VNĐ2.846 trillion ($113.7 million).

Under the submission, Hà Nội administration proposed that the Government allocate capital for the project over three middle-term public investment periods to align with the revised project timeline.

The allocation consisted of about VNĐ9.2 trillion ($366 billion) for the 2021-25 period, about VNĐ19.9 trillion ($791 million) for 2026-30 and around VNĐ5.58 trillion ($221.8 million) for 2031.

Currently, the 2019 Law on Public Investment does not specifically address the balance and allocation of mid-term public investment funds over consecutive periods.

Thus, Hà Nội’s administration said it would propose the Prime Minister to approve the adjustments and would report the project’s status to the National Assembly in late this year, in accordance with Article 104 of the Government’s Decree No 29 on major national project assessment and monitoring.

Since the Ministry of Planning and Investment completed its report on the investment adjustment in May 2021 and with the Government Office’s approval of the C9 underground station location as noted in Notification No 328 on October 14, 2022, Hà Nội submitted four requests for approval of the adjustments, including three in 2024 alone.

That demonstrates the complexity of the project, which was initially approved by Hà Nội People’s Committee under Decision No 2054 issued on November 13, 2008.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính, head of the Hồng (Red) River Delta Coordination Council, chaired the fourth meeting regarding the issue.

He ordered relevant ministries, agencies and localities to expedite the completion of procedures to accelerate the implementation of regional and inter-regional projects, including the Urban railway line 2 from Nam Thăng Long Urban area to Trần Hưng Đạo Street.

PM Chính also called for proposals on special mechanisms and policies for the Government to review and decide.

The Urban railway line 2 project, approved by the Hà Nội People’s Committee in November 2008, stretches from Nam Thăng Long Urban area, Nguyễn Văn Huyên Street, Hoàng Quốc Việt Street, Hoàng Hoa Thám Street, Thụy Khuê Street, Phan Đình Phùng Street, Hàng Giấy Street, Hàng Đường Street, Hàng Ngang Street, Hàng Đào Street, Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street, Hàng Bài Street and ends at Trần Hưng Đạo Street.

It consists of three elevated stations and seven underground stations and a depot located in Xuân Đỉnh Ward, Bắc Từ Liêm District.— VNS