Dung made the request while inspecting three key infrastructure projects of Hanoi including the Mai Dich-Thang Long Bridge section on the city’s Belt Road No 3 and urban railway lines No 2A Cat Linh-Ha Dong and No 3 Nhon-Hanoi Train Station.
The Ministry of Transport and the railway’s general contractor must hasten work in order to start operating the project as soon as possible in 2019, he said.
However, the Deputy PM also stressed that the top priority is to secure safety during operation and the safety certificate must be approved before running the train.
Construction on the over VND20 trillion (US$886 million) Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway started in 2011 and was initially expected to be completed in 2015. The construction deadline was later set at 2018 with trial runs to be ended by March 31 this year.
Six months after the trial period, however, an exact date on when Hanoians can finally board the train remains up in the air.
