HCM CITY — The final span of the two-lane Sài Gòn bridge on the Bến Thành – Suối Tiên metro line was connected yesterday in HCM City.

The bridge is one of five bridges on the metro line that connects Bến Thành terminal in District 1 and Suối Tiên Amusement Park in District 9.

Spanning the Sài Gòn River, the new bridge, which connects District 2 and Bình Thạnh District, is located 38 metres from the existing Sài Gòn Bridge.     

The metro bridge, 267.5 metres long and 11.1 metres wide, was built by the Sumitomo-Cienco 6 Consortium contractor.

The other four metro bridges will be located above the Hà Nội Highway, Rạch Chiếc Canal, Điện Biên Phủ Street and Văn Thánh Canal. 

Speaking at a ceremony yesterday in the city, Nguyễn Thanh Phong, chairman of the People’s Committee, said the first metro line was a key project financed by ODA loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

“The project aims to resolve traffic congestion at the city’s northeast gateway and contribute significantly to the city’s socio-economic development,” Phong told Việt Nam News on the sidelines of the ceremony.      

Construction on the first metro line began in August 2012. The line will have a total length of 19.7km, including 2.6km underground, running through 14 stations, with three underground stations.

The 17.1 km above-ground section of the line – from Ba Son terminal in District 1 to  Suối Tiên terminal in District 9 – is expected to be operational in 2019.

The route has a total investment of US$2.49 billion, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the city’s reciprocal capital.

Lê Nguyễn Minh Quang, head of the Management Authority of Urban Railway, said 11 stations were under construction, eight of which would be at platform level and three at the concourse level.

Quang promised that more efforts would be made to complete overhead construction by 2019 and put the entire metro into operation in 2020.

Akito Takahashi, senior representative of JICA Việt Nam Office, said: “The project is one of the most important projects for JICA to further strengthen the Việt Nam - Japan partnership.”  

Regarding metro line No 2 Bến Thành-Tham Lương, the project’s design and total investment are being adjusted and site clearance will be finished in June.

The project comprises eight packages, with one including construction of an office building, which has been completed.

In addition, the metro line No. 5 from the new Cần Giuộc bus terminal to Sài Gòn Bridge will be 20 km long. It has an investment of more than $1.6 billion.

The dossier for metro line No. 5 will be submitted to the Government and the National Assembly for consideration later this year. — VNS