The HCM City People’s Committee has proposed to delay the start of the metro line No 2 Bến Thành-Tham Lương by the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026.

Construction work on the seperate metro line No 1 between Bến Thành-Suối Tiên. — VNA/VNS Photo Tiến Lực

HCM CITY — The HCM City People’s Committee has proposed to delay the start of the metro line No 2 between Bến Thành-Tham Lương until the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026.

The delay is due to problems in the project’s consulting contract.

In a report to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the municipal People’s Committee said that the contract was signed in 2012 between the HCM City Management Authority of Urban Railway (MAUR) and the Metro Team Line consulting consortium with two phases. Phase A included foundation designing, estimating the bidding package, making documents, and evaluating the bids. Phase B is construction supervision.

Because of the long process of adjustment, the contract was suspended to provide phase A services in October 2018. Besides, due to changes in work scale, the MAUR announced the end of phase B in 2018.

In 2019, the MAUR asked the Metro Team Line to complete the remaining work of phase A. However, after two-year negotiation, no consensus was reached.

In May last year, the HCM City People’s Committee agreed to end the negotiation and end the contract. But the Metro Team Line hoped to continue the negotiation and proposed to complete remaining work in phase A.

The People’s Committee agreed for the MAUR to re-open negotiation. But, in May this year, the Metro Team Line sent a letter to unilaterally end the contract.

The HCM City People’s Committee said that after the contract ends, the remaining work needed tender to select consultants.

The tender will affect the project’s progress and delay the project.

The MAUR in June this year announced to open bidding, and deadline for document submission is August 2 this year.

The metro line No 2 Bến Thành-Tham Lương has total investment of more than VNĐ47.8 trillion (US$2 billion). It is planned to have a total length of more than 11km with 10 stations. Earlier, the project is scheduled to complete in 2026.

Source: VNN