HCMC set to relocate underground infrastructure to build 2nd metro line

Electricity cables will be removed first starting June 22, followed by telecom cables and sewers.

The relocation is targeted to be finished within the third quarter of this year, the Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR), which manages all metro projects in the city, said.

Line No.2 between Ben Thanh and Tham Luong runs 11 km between Districts 1 and 12 and through districts 3, 10, Tan Binh, and Tan Phu.

It will have 10 stations, nine of them underground.

In April the government approved a delay in the project schedule for hiring a new consultant after MAUR failed to renew an earlier contract.

MAUR had also failed to pay for lands acquired for the project, citing disagreements with district authorities, which also contributed to the delay.

The line is scheduled to be "basically completed" in 2030 instead of 2026, with the official opening planned in 2032. Originally, it was planned to be up and running by 2016.

The original $1.3-billion price tag ballooned to $2.1 billion as of 2019.

So far 87% of the lands needed for the route has been acquired, with most of the remaining sites being in District 3.

MAUR said related agencies are "speeding up progress" so that all the lands could be acquired by the end of this year.

The city's first metro line, after frequent and long delays, is expected to be finished later this year with commercial operations set to start next year.