A huge tunnel boring machine (TBM) will begin carving out a tunnel for the metro line under District 1 today.
VnExpress reports that the TBM was delivered from Japan earlier in the year. The machine will drill a 781-meter-long tunnel from Ba Son Station to the Opera House as part of Metro Line 1's route.
Duong Huu Hoa, head of the project's management bodies, told the news source that this is the first time such technology has been used in Vietnam.
The tunnel will run from Ba Son under Nguyen Sieu Street to the iconic performing venue at the center of town.
According to the news site, the 70-meter-long TBM costs US$4 million and is capable of creating a tunnel with a diameter of 6.79 meters at a depth of 17 meters underground.
[Photo via Tuoi Tre]