Hanoi is expected to remove and cut at least 346 trees for an urban rail line project. Photo: Ngoc ThangHanoi is expected to remove and cut at least 346 trees for an urban rail line project. Photo: Ngoc Thang
Hanoi has announced plans to fell dozens of decades-old trees to make way for two stations of the city's first elevated rail line, a seemingly inescapable move that will nonetheless spark a few debates about urban development and green space.
A statement from Hanois urban railway management board said 19 trees will have to be cut down by January 20. Eight others will be removed and replanted elsewhere.
There is at least one tree of the rare and protected sua (Dalbergia tonkinensis) species among those on the chopping block.
The city has already moved and cut more than 50 trees to serve the construction of the rail line, which will run from Tu Liem District to Hanoi Railway Station, to connect the citys western part with its downtown area.
Work on the 12-kilometer line started in September 2010. Another 231 trees will be either felled or removed for the next stages of construction.
The project, with a cost estimate of 780 million euros (US$1.14 billion), is funded by France and the Asian Development Bank.
Le Huy Hoang, deputy director of the urban management board, said the project is slated to complete in 2018. The contractor is supposed to replant trees along the line after that.
Hanoi received strong public criticism last year for a massive tree-cutting plan that envisaged chopping down 6,700 trees lining the citys thoroughfares.
Public outrage helped axe the plan in March, after 500 trees had already been felled.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved an additional grant of $75 Million for the Ha Noi Train Station Nhon Urban Metro Rail Project. The capital will come from the French Development Agency (AFD).
The Prime Minister has authorized Deputy Finance Minister Truong Chi Trung to sign the agreement with the AFD on behalf of the Vietnamese Government. The Finance Ministry will be in charge of implementing the procedures for allowing the municipal peoples committee to re-borrow the money.
The Urban Metro Rail Project will cover a total length of 12.5 km, comprising:
a 8.5 km long single track elevated section connecting Nhon Depot with Thu Le
a 4 km long twin tube underground section linking Thu Le with Ha Noi Railway Station.
The line, the first to be built in Vietnam, will run West-East across the city starting at Nhon and ending at Ha Noi Railway Station, connecting 12 stations in total:
Nhon Terminal
Minh Khai
Phu Dien
Cau Dien
Le Duc Tho
National University
Chua Ha
Cau Giay
Kim Ma
Cat Linh
Van Mieu
Ha Noi Railway Station
The Urban Metro Rail Project will serve three centers of higher education, the Temple of Literature and Ha Noi Railway Station. Extensions are planned to Hoan Mai in the south around 2020 and, in the longer term, to Son Tay in the west.
At the start of revenue service the line will transport 8,600 passengers per hour per direction at peak times, with plans to reach 23,900 on its busiest section by 2030.
Several transport hubs will be connected, including the Nhon and Cau Giay Bus Stations, the Cat Linh Rail Station for connections to the Ha Noi Hadong suburban line and Ha Noi Railway Station, where the national rail lines and many bus lines will all interconnect. The metro line will eventually be connected to all the other planned metro lines, forming the backbone of the Ha Noi transport network.
The Urban Metro Rail Project is part of the Transport Ministrys Urban Masterplan, which aims to reduce the use of private transport and improve the urban environment.
Between 2004 and 2005, French consulting and engineering firm SYSTRA carried out two pre-feasibility studies which identified the East West corridor as a priority and recommended that a metro be built along this axis. In 2006, the local authorities and the government officially agreed to launch construction of a pilot metro line between Nhon Industrial University and Ha Noi Railway Station, a popular commuter route.
Since November 2007, SYSTRA has been acting as General Consultant to the Ha Noi Metropolitan Rail Transport Project Board (HRB) and managing the project on behalf of the Ha Noi Peoples Committee (HPC).
A new Urban Masterplan was approved in 2008, setting out plans for the creation of 6 new metro lines and 3 Bus Rapid Transit lines by 2030.
South Korean construction firm Daelim Industrial Co has been working on costructing the 8.5 km elevated section since 2014.
In the meantime, the Hanoi Railway Transport Company and the Japanese Tokyo Metro have agreed to collaborate in developing a sustainable urban railway system in Hanoi.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 15 January 2016 in Ha Noi Tokyo Metro will provide technical consultation for the development, operation and management of the urban railway projects implemented in Ha Noi.
The Hanoi Railway Transport Company was established in 2011 with the consultation services provided by Tokyo Metro.
The 13-km rail line will link Cat Linh Street to Yen Nghia Bus Station in Ha Dong District, making 12 stops along the way. Photo credit: T.Phung/Tuoi Tre The 13-km rail line will link Cat Linh Street to Yen Nghia Bus Station in Ha Dong District, making 12 stops along the way. Photo credit: T.Phung/Tuoi Tre
After several years of sputtering, Hanoi's notorious elevated rail project now has a new finish date with the first train scheduled to run on December 31.
The Railway Project Management Unit (PMU), the investor, and the main contractor China Railway Sixth Group Co. Ltd on Saturday signed an agreement promising to meet that deadline. Deputy Transport Minister Nguyen Hong Truong witnessed the signing.
Le Kim Thanh, general director of the Railway PMU, said that 70 percent of the construction work for the Cat Linh-Ha Dong project has been completed.
Work on the 13-kilometer line, which will link Cat Linh Street to Yen Nghia Bus Station in Ha Dong District, was originally scheduled to start in August 2008 and finish in November 2013.
But construction was delayed until October 2011.
A prolonged site clearance process and late payments to sub-contractors were key reasons behind the delay, which caused the initial cost estimate of US$552 million to increase by a staggering $339 million.
The project has also been notorious for two collapses in 2014, killing one and injuring three others.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Forum FAQ
Search
Usergroups
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
