HÀ NỘI — The construction of Yên Sở Coach Station near Hà Nội’s Belt Road 3 is believed to fit with the city’s planning.

As scheduled, the city plans to construct the coach station in Hoàng Mai District, with total investment estimated at about VNĐ100 billion (US$4.4 million) by 2020. It promises to be the most modern coach terminal ever built in Việt Nam, with most services automated, facilitating up to 1,000 coaches a day.

The information was released as part of document No 7942/SGTVT-VP from the capital’s Transport Department, sent to the city’s Party Central Committee’s Commission for Publicity and Education on Thursday.

The move came after many transport experts expressed their concern that constructing the medium-term coach station was a waste of investment and might “affect the city’s urban land reserves.”

In the document, Vũ Hà, head of the department, explained that the coach station is part of the Hà Nội Transport Master Plan by 2030.

Accordingly, the coach station, covering 3.5ha, will be located to the south of Belt Road 3 near Hoàng Mai District’s Yên Sở Ward. The project has been verified in accordance with the provisions of law, Hà said.

Currently, the flow of inter-provincial passenger transport from southern provinces to Hà Nội is on the rise, he said.

It put the two existing coach stations of Giáp Bát and Nước Ngầm under growing pressure, he said.

Thus, it is necessary to build an additional coach station to serve the increasing demand of passengers as well as reduce the pressure on the two existing coach stations, he added.

Additionally, after a new Southern Terminal is open – in 2025 at the latest, Yên Sở station will fulfill its initial purpose and then serve as a bus transit station and car park, he said.

The planning and construction of the coach station had been carefully considered and comprehensively assessed with consultation of experts and scientists, he said.

The construction of the coach station is in line with the transport planning project approved by the Government in March 2016. The People’s Committee of Hà Nội already reported contents relating to the planning and construction of the coach station to Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc via document No 217/BC-UBND in August 2018. — VNS