Work on HCMC’s metro line 2 to start in mid-2022 A road section is cleared to make room for HCMC’s second metro line project. Work on the project is expected to start next year - PHOTO: NLDO In a report on the project’s progress sent to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Binh stated that the site clearance work for the project would be completed in the first months of this year, while the relocation of technical infrastructure facilities would start in August, the local media reported. The Management Authority for Urban Railways of HCMC is completing procedures to invite tenders for the project this year. According to the municipal government, the project is facing some obstacles, such as reappraising loan conditions, extending a loan contract with the German development bank KfW that expired on December 31, 2020, and signing an appendix with the consulting firm of the project, Implementation Consultant, which stopped work on the project in October 2018. Therefore, the city proposed the Ministry of Planning and Investment support the removal of these obstacles, so that the project can be completed as scheduled. The second metro line project in HCMC, which requires an estimated investment of more than VND47.8 trillion, was designed to be over 11 kilometers long, including a 9.2-kilometer underground section, an elevated section and an approaching road section to the Tham Luong Depot. The metro line will include nine underground stations and an elevated station. The cleared sites have been handed over for four stations---S9-Ba Queo in Tan Binh District, S10-Pham Van Bach, S11-Tan Binh and S5-Le Thi Rieng. In addition, the office building and auxiliary facilities at the Tham Luong Depot have been built. As planned, the route will be constructed for four years and put into operation in 2026. Once in place, it will connect the first metro line at the Ben Thanh Station in District 1 and metro lines No. 5, 3b, 4 and 6. HCM City …
Security total 360
VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS MARCH 23
Momentum needed to help aviation industry take off Many domestic airlines incurred heavy losses last year after being seriously affected by Covid-19. Along with Government support and their own efforts, airlines, however, have overcome the difficulties and are now posting profits. Bamboo Airways can be viewed as a “miracle” in this regard. Taking the initiative, however, it soon switched its focus to the domestic market. It was the right decision, given that its business results for 2020 increased by 10% to 20%, with pre-tax profit standing at over 17.3 million USD, while other airlines either posted heavy losses or low profits. Positive business results in 2020 became a driving force for not only Bamboo Airways itself but also for the private business sector to participate in fields that were previously only the domain of State-owned enterprises. This has made the market more competitive, bringing extra benefits to customers. Regarding the prospects for the aviation industry this year, analysts have said growth will remain low. It is necessary to create favourable conditions for private concerns to grow, and Bamboo Airlines is an excellent example./. Vietnam Post launches automated package sorting system Vietnam Post Corporation (Vietnam Post) on March 22 launched an automated packages sorting system at its logistics centre in the central region, which is located at the Hoa Khanh Industrial Park in Da Nang city. Using bar code reading and image analysing technologies, the modern system is able to sort packages based on addresses to the district, even communal level, with a capacity of handling tens of thousands of parcels each hour. Vietnam Post has integrated the system with the IT system, Vmap web-mapping application and Vpostcode – a postal address code system – in order to build an uninterrupted and synchronous delivery process. Apart from the sorting system, the centre has also put into service new tools and equipment to standardise …
Vietnam’s largest bus terminal struggles to shift gears
The new bus terminal with more space and upgraded facilities opened on October 10, last year. At first, authorities allowed coaches operating on 22 routes operating with a distance of 1,100 km heading to the central province of Quang Tri and beyond to the north to pick up passengers at the old terminal in Binh Thanh District. Starting March 13, all vehicles on the 22 routes have had to pick up passengers at the new station. But, since then, these buses only get several dozen passengers every day. Ticket counters at the new Mien Dong Bus Station, HCMC, March 24, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Gia Minh. Last week, more than 360 passengers started their journeys from the new terminal, with the highest number of 90 on March 20. Last Wednesday afternoon, the spacious waiting hall in the new terminal had just one customer using it. The escalator system here wasn’t turned on since there were no people traveling. Screens on the ticket counters were brightly lit, with information on journeys and trips, but there was no one seeking it. In the parking area, more than 30 buses were lined up in the marked boxes with no sign of passengers. One of the main reasons that the new terminal is receiving very few passengers is that it is located, in the words of one customer, "far from the center and not convenient to get there." "The traveling distance from District 8 to the new Mien Dong Bus Station is 25 km. If there is no traffic jam, it will take more than an hour for me to get there," Le Thuan said, adding she would choose one of the private companies operating outside the terminal because the pick-up point is close to her house and the driver is willing to drop her off at the point she wants. Only one worker and one security guard at the lobby of the new Mien Dong Bus Station on the afternoon of March 24, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Gia Minh. In fact, it seems that the main reason for the new bus terminal is not doing well is the increasing number …
[Read more...] about Vietnam’s largest bus terminal struggles to shift gears