Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved an additional grant of 69 million euros (US$75.1 million) for the Ha Noi Train Station-Nhon urban metro rail project.

The capital will come from the French Development Agency (AFD).

The prime minister has authorised Deputy Minister of Finance Truong Chi Trung to sign the agreement with the AFD on behalf of the Vietnamese government.

The prime minister asked the justice ministry to carry out procedures for providing legal opinion on the agreement to ensure the project would soon be implemented.

The finance ministry will be in charge of implementing the procedures for allowing the municipal people's committee to re-borrow the money.

The Ha Noi Train Station-Nhon urban metro rail project has a total length of 12.5km, comprising 8.5km of an aerial track that will connect Nhon depot with Thu Le Zoo, and a 4km-long underground track that will link Thu Le with the Ha Noi railway station.

The line will start at Nhon and reach Cau Giay via National Highway 32, Ho Tung Mau and Xuan Thuy streets. It will also pass through Kim Ma, Nui Truc and Quoc Tu Giam streets. The last stop will be the Ha Noi railway station at the T-junction of Le Duan and Tran Hung Dao Street.

The metro rail project is part of the transport ministry's master plan, which aims to reduce the use of private transport to improve the urban environment.

More trees to be cut down

The management board of Ha Noi Urban Railways has announced a plan to cut down and shift 62 trees for the construction of two stations of the metro rail project.

Thirty-five of these trees will be partly cut, while 19 will be cut down and the remaining eight will be shifted to other places. These trees are currently located on Xuan Thuy and Cau Giay streets.

The management board will complete the job before January 20.

VNS