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HCM - Translohr

HCM City to spend $200mil on electric trams
14:19' 10/04/2008 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge – The nation's economic hub will spend about US$200mil to build an electric tram-car route linking the city centre with its Western Bus Terminal.

An agreement was signed yesterday between HCM City People's Committee, the Ha Noi Construction Corporation, and a joint-venture between Malaysia's Titanium Management and Thanh Danh Construction and Trade Co Ltd.

The 12.5-km-long route will feature tram-cars with inflated rubber tyres that will run from Thu Thiem Ferry, passing Ton Duc Thang Street, Dong Tay Boulevard, Ly Chieu Hoang Road and end at the bus terminal, which at present serves regional areas around the city.

Work will include the construction of 23 bus stops, four foot bridges and 15 French-designed Translohr tram-cars.

Cars will be 39m long and 2.2m wide and are designed to carry 238 passengers. It's estimated they will be able to carry up to 7,000 passengers an hour, one way.

Work will start in July next year. The line is planned to open by January 2012.

Director of HCM City's Transport and Public Work's Department, Tran Quang Phuong, said the electric-car route would skirt along busy roads beside Ben Nghe and Tau Hu canals.

"These electric cars together with the city's six metro (subway) routes will help ease the city's traffic by 2013", Phuong said.