Hanoi makes significant progress in Nhon–Hanoi station metro line

Local authorities have completed ahead-of-schedule compensation for land requisition and temporary settlement of all households living in the Nhon–Hanoi station metro line project in the two districts of Ba Dinh and Dong Da.

Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Thi Tuyen during the visit. Photos: Pham Hung

Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Thi Tuyen applauded the efforts from Hanoi’s Project Management Board of Urban Railways and the two districts of Ba Dinh, Dong Da, for advancing the construction of the metro line when visiting works on October 27.

At the meeting, a representative of the Project Management Board noted the agency and the authorities inwards of Cat Linh, Quoc Tu Giam, Van Chuong, and Van Mieu of  Dong Da District had completed compensation payments to all 30 households in the project area.

In Ba Dinh District, the Board and Kim Ma Ward concluded the payment for all 18 households, and the latter has signed an agreement for moving into temporary houses, along with a commitment to handing over the site on time.

In addition, the Hanoi People’s Committee has approved selling resettlement apartments for households subject to land requisition in the vicinity of the S9 station.

Chairman of Ba Dinh District People’s Committee Ta Nam Chien said that the district had completed the compensation payment worth nearly VND50 billion (US$2 million) while allocating temporary houses for 13 households.

“The site clearance is completed and ready for construction,” Chien said.

Regarding 18 affected households in Kim Ma Ward, Ba Dinh District, the Project Management Board has also approved the compensation plan worth a total of VND8.2 billion ($330,378), with all households receiving the payment.

Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Tuyen speaks at the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Dong Da District People’s Committee, Le Tuan Dinh, said a similar process for all 30 affected households in the district was completed in September.

Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Tuyen stressed all recommendations regarding the project have been addressed by the city and urged all related agencies to continue seeking people’s consensus in the construction process.

Along with the underground components of the project, Tuyen urged the Project Management Board to put the elevated stretch into operation soon to help ease the traffic congestion in the city.

“Efforts are required to ensure the utmost convenience during the operation and maintenance of urban railway routes,” Tuyen noted.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, during a visit to the project site in August, requested the elevated section of the project (from Nhon to Cau Giay) to be completed by December 31, 2022, and contractors to halve the construction time of the underground section, which inauguration is originally scheduled for 2027.

The Nhon – Hanoi station metro project, with financial backing from the French Government, the French Development Agency (AFD), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the European Investment Bank (EIB), has a total length of 12.5 kilometers, running through eight elevated and four underground stations.

According to the Hanoi Urban Railway Project Management Board, work on the metro line project began in September 2010, and 75% has been completed so far, while the elevated section (Nhon - Cau Giay) has been 95% finished.

However, difficulties during the implementation process have delayed the project beyond the original 2016 deadline, and its investment costs doubled to VND34 trillion (US$1.45 billion).

The delay is attributed to the sophisticated technologies first used in Vietnam, the inexperience of the parties involved in the project, difficulties in meeting donor obligations and funding agreements, and issues related to the land clearance process.