By the end of 2016, Hanoi's first metro line will officially be up and running.
On Saturday, the elevated railway's investors signed an agreement with main contractor China Railway Sixth Group Co. Ltd. and the railway's Project Management Unit (PMU) to ensure all parties meet a December 2016 deadline, reports Thanh Nien. The signatures were witnessed by Deputy Transport Minister Nguyen Hong Truong.
According to Railway PMU general director Le Kim Thanh, 70% of the Cat Linh – Ha Dong line is already complete and trains will begin service by December 31, 2016. Though there are still a few kinks to work out before then – Hanoians, for instance, have mixed feelings about their city's new metro cars, and despite reassurances, are still less-than-confident in its wavy tracks – it's very possible the capital could actually see its very own elevated railway line this year.
The Cat Linh – Ha Dong line has been a long time coming. The project's construction was originally scheduled to being in 2008 and open to the public in 2013, however a series of complications, from late payments to site clearance delays to safety issues, pushed the project's start date back to October 2011.
[Photo via DTI]
