JBIC invests in Vietnam subway line

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation has agreed to lend USD904.7 million to enable Vietnam to build the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien subway line. Construction of the 14-station, 19.7-kilometer route, the very first in the country, will commence on February 21 and is due for completion in 2014. The Ho Chi Minh City government, for its part, will contribute USD186.6 million to the endeavor. So far, French engineering group Alstom as well as Nippon Koei and Sumitomo of Japan, have voiced their intention to bid for contracts under the project. (Source: Vietnam?s first subway line ready to break ground/Thanh Nien)