European Bank funds HCMC’s urban railway

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed to provide a credit of 150 million EUR for a project to build the second metro route in Ho Chi Minh City.

An agreement was signed in Hanoi on December 6 between Vietnam’s Finance Ministry and the EIB, which will co-finance the project along with the Asian Development Bank and the German Development Bank (KfW).

The credit will be used to install and equip a new depot as well as purchase trains carriages for the route’s first 11.3km long section with 11 stations in the inner city.

The route is expected to carry 140,000 passengers every day during its first year of operation, which will help to reduce traffic jams in the city.

The initial line in HCM City is designed to be 20km long, beginning from Thu Thiem and ending at An Suong Station. Its total cost is estimated at over 1,347 million USD.

The construction will be carried out two phases. The study for the first phase to build the 11.3km section from the Ben Thanh market to Tham Luong began in 2003./.

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Vietnam joins Asia-Europe educational cooperation

Vietnam has joined other nine Asian and seven European countries in an Asia-Europe university education cooperation programme called “Man Health Environment Biodiversity in Asia” (MAHEVA).

A delegation from the Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) led by Prof. Nguyen Canh Luong and Prof. Ha Manh Thu, the MAHEVA coordinators, paid a working visit to France’s Monpellier city to kick off the project.

Through the exchange of students and managers, the MAHEVA aims to step up cooperation in science and technology, economics, culture and education between Europe and Asia, strengthen high-quality graduate and post-graduate education and conduct joint researches into environmental and social protection.

The project also consolidates multilateral cooperation among European and Asian universities, thus strengthening mutual understanding between nations.

It encourages graduates and post-graduates to study at European laboratories and develop new teaching programmes and applied researches.

Through the Asia-Europe cooperation, partners will have an opportunity to cooperate in such areas as biology, environmental protection and health.

The project also encourages the recognition of equivalent teaching programmes and degrees using the European Train Control System (ETCS) in order to increase occupational opportunities for Asia students and help Asian universities implement tertiary education reforms through the exchange of teaching and researching experiences taken from European universities.

Other MAHEVA participants include Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia, India, Sri Lanka, the Phillipines, France, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Poland and Spain./.

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Hanoi unveils plans for ritzy public buses

The new bus is 18 meters long and can carry 204 passengers

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Deploying a giant 204-seat vehicle and an environmentally friendly bus features in Hanoi’s plans to make public transport more comfortable and efficient under a European-funded program.

The city Department of Transport and Hanoi Public Transport and Services company (Transerco) Thursday began trial of an 18 meter long, 204-seat bus -- double the size -- on the Noi Bai airport–My Dinh Bus Station route.

The Hanoi Ecotrans project is sponsored by the European Union, Île-de-France region, and other European partners.

Nguyen Hoang Hai, director of the Hanoi Urban Public Transport Management Centre, said the trial run will last until November 2010.

“If it proves effective, we will deploy it on other routes,” he said without elaborating.

Transerco will also start operating two Euro II emission-standard buses on September 25.

The vehicles will also have low floors for old and disabled people, a GPS system, electronic map, and three doors.

“The new bus will not only beautify Hanoi’s streets but also make tourists comfortable about using public transport,” said Transerco’s deputy manager, Nguyen Trong Thong.

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