Metro

The last among 17 trains of the Ho Chi Minh City’s Metro Line No. 1 was put on track in Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City on May 9. The last two trains for the metro line arrived in HCMC from Japan last week. All 17 trains of the line are made in Japan. The first arrived in October, 2020. Each comprises three cars to carry 930 passengers at most. Each car is 21 meters long, four meters high, and weighs 37 tons. Nguyen Quoc Hien, deputy head of the HCMC Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR), the project investor, said the arrival of the last two trains means the project has entered a new phase and is ready for testing. Barriers of two meters high are established along the tracks to ensure safety. The overhead power transmission system for the metro line has basically been completed. MAUR said earlier this year that trains would run on a trial scheme along separate … [Read more...] about Saigon metro depot readies after receiving all 17 trains

According to a proposal that it sent Thursday to the Hanoi People's Committee, the entire metro line would become operational in 2027, with the elevated section beginning to run in 2022. The project's final settlements would be done in 2029. With the proposed increase in investment, the project would cost around VND34.53 trillion. The MRB said the increase in investment is required because of changes in exchange rates, as well as the need to readjust initial designs and technical requirements. Multiple delays to the project have also led to changes to its original schedule, it noted. As per the latest adjusted schedule, the entire line was to become operational in late 2023. Among issues affecting the project's progress were impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, land clearance issues and conflicts with international contractors due to extended contracts and increased costs, the MRB said. Most of the issues that lie within the capital city's responsibility have basically been dealt … [Read more...] about Increase investment, delay second Hanoi metro line: proposal

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai speaks at the conference (PHoto: SGGP) Speaking at the conference, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai said that the disbursement progress has so far achieved 11 percent, which is lower than last year with 17 percent. He added that many units have had low disbursement rates; therefore, all units and investors must clearly define their responsibilities, review each project, and solve any problems to ensure progress, not accumulate at the end of the year. In order to speed up the progress of projects, Chairman Phan Van Mai asked the units to report in detail and analyze each project for solutions. Reporting at the conference, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Investment Le Thi Huynh Mai said that most of the units with too low disbursement rates do have not much capital and are currently in the process of implementing procedures, so they have not completed the … [Read more...] about HCMC People’s Committee asks to remove difficulties, accelerate disbursement

Shanghai announced a gradual reopening from Monday of businesses, though it remains unclear when the millions of people still locked down in China's economic capital will finally be allowed out of their homes. Police and security members in protective suits stand outside cordoned off food stores following the COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai, China, Mar 29, 2022. (File photo: Reuters/Aly Song) Confronted with its worst Covid-19 outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic, China -- the last major economy still closed off to the world -- put the city of 25 million under heavy restrictions in early April. The rigid strategy to root out virus cases at all costs has wreaked havoc on supply chains, crushed small businesses and imperilled the country's economic goals. For many Shanghai residents, some of whom were already confined to their homes even before April, the frustrations have included problems with food supplies, access to non-Covid medical care and … [Read more...] about Covid-hit Shanghai announces gradual reopening of businesses

At least 14 people were killed and more than a dozen others injured when a bus carrying domestic tourists crashed into an advertising sign in Indonesia's East Java province early on Monday, police said. A police officer inspects the scene of a bus crash in Surabaya, East Java on May 16, 2022. (The Jakarta Post/East Java Police) The bus -- which was carrying 31 passengers, the driver and a crew member -- hit the pole and then rolled over on a toll road connecting the town of Mojokerto to the country's second city, Surabaya. The victims were from Benowo, a village near Surabaya, and were returning home after a long weekend at popular holiday destination Dieng Plateau, about 400 kilometres away in Central Java, local official Ridwan Mubarun told Indonesian television station Metro TV. "Fourteen people have died and 19 others sustained minor and serious injuries," Mojokerto police chief Rofiq Ripto Himawan told reporters on Monday, adding that authorities … [Read more...] about Indonesia tourist bus crash kills 14

A park in downtown HCM City. The city plans to add at least 10ha of parks and 2ha of public green spaces, and plant or rehabilitate 6,000 trees this year to make the city greener and more beautiful. — Photo baodansinh.vn HCM CITY — HCM City plans to add at least 10 hectares of parks and two hectares of public green spaces, and plant or rehabilitate 6,000 trees this year to make the city greener and more beautiful. The People's Committee has instructed districts and Thủ Đức City to make plans for this and set specific targets. The city has also told them to quickly review and make a list of public lands that are zoned for green parks but leased out or used for other purposes, and report to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment. The city has a 10-year plan (2021-30) for increasing public parks and the green cover, under which it will add at least 150ha of public parks and 10ha of public green spaces by 2025. By 2030 there will be one square metre of park per … [Read more...] about HCM City has ambitious greenery plans for 2022

Chairman of the People’s Committee of HCMC Phan Van Mai speaks at the conference. The statement was made at a virtual conference on the implementation of the Politburo's Resolution No.06-NQ/TW dated January 24, 2022 on planning, construction, management and sustainable development of urban areas in Vietnam to 2030 with a vision to 2045” that was held by the Party Central Committee's Secretariat on May 18. The video conference saw the presence of Politburo member and standing member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Vo Van Thuong, Chairman of the Party Central Committee's Economic Commission Tran Tuan Anh, Head of the Central Propaganda and Education Department Nguyen Trong Nghia and Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh. Participants located in HCMC accessing the live meeting included HCMC Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Van Nen, Chairman of the People’s Committee of the city Phan Van Mai and Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Council Nguyen Thi Le. Speaking at … [Read more...] about HCMC needs special mechanisms to attract strategic investors: City’s Chairman

Hanoi Department of Transport have proposed adding 2,500-2,700 bus stops between 2022 and 2025. Under the city’s recommendation, bus stops will be rearranged to be nearer to residential areas and metro stations. The distance between bus stops in urban areas would be around 300-600 metres. A bus in Hanoi The Hanoi Department of Transport has also suggested arranging Park & Ride spots for people to access to public transport easier. Hanoi plans to invest VND357 billion in rearranging bus stops and improving transport interconnectivity in the 2022-2025 period. At present, the city has 3,813 bus stops with a density of 1.1 stops per square kilometre to serve 127 bus routes. Inner-city areas alone account for 1,152 stops. Hanoi has planned to launch 28 new bus routes this year to meet increased demand for public transport. The city has set the goal of 30-35 percent of commuters using public transport by 2025. … [Read more...] about Hanoi to benefit from additional 2,700 bus stops

Shanghai announced its first new COVID-19 cases outside quarantined areas in five days on Friday, triggering stricter curbs and mass testing in one district but plans to end a prolonged city-wide lockdown on June 1 appeared on track. The commercial hub of 25 million found three new cases in the same family in Qingpu district. All had taken three doses of vaccine and their infections were discovered during regular testing, authorities said. The three had not left their district town over the past 14 days but had visited at least four places, including a supermarket, all of which were sealed off and were being disinfected, authorities said. The area's more than 200,000 people had been re-tested and all results were negative. "Our district will follow the precise prevention and control measures, do a good job in epidemic prevention and control and achieve dynamic clearing as soon as possible," Zhang Yan, deputy head of Qingpu district, told an online news conference. Other … [Read more...] about Shanghai finds cases after five days of ‘zero COVID’ but end of lockdown on track