First tramway in Vietnam likely to be built in central city
Central Danang city is expecting to become the first site in Vietnam to build a tramway system to cope with traffic congestion, a problem plaguing urban centers in Vietnam.
The city government has been considering the project which is likely to start in 2007, said Bui Van Ga, rector of Danang Polytechnic University.
The city is looking to low-cost and environmental-friendly public transport as traffic congestion is envisioned to haunt the city in the next 10 years as is the case now HCMC and Hanoi, Mr. Ga said.
Besides, such a tramway linking the city center with suburban areas will help manufacturers in industrial parks as they can attract a great number of workers from the city downtown.
The initial investment for a tramway system is affordable as a kilometer of tram generally costs only a tenth of the investment for a kilometer of underground subway line.
Under the project, electric trams would travel 20 kilometers from the city downtown to the outlying district of Nam O in the north.
Each kilometer of tram under the project is estimated to cost some US$1 million. But, the project’s investment capital can be reduced as the current railway would be re-used for trams as Danang Railway Station is to be relocated away from the city centre.
More importantly, electric trams will give off no exhaust emissions like other public transport means such as buses.
By Huu Tra - Thanh Nien - May 30, 2005.
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