Traffic experts said that HCM City has to deploy bus boat right now, if not, there will not have enough land to implement. To plan waterway transportation networks, cities need VND 12,000 billion.

This amount equals the total value of government bonds issued in the first quarter of this year to raise funds for the state budget and invest development in the country. To consume a huge budget like that, but Mr. Tran The Ky, Deputy Director of Department of Transport & Traffic in Ho Chi Minh City said that: "Right now, beginning to study at least more than 2-3 years to implement bus routes. If be slower, land fund for the piers will no longer". HCM City currently has 87 rivers with a total length of over 574 km and canal system intertwined. While on the road traffic, people struggle to have each meter of land in the space of river is neglected.

About 10 years ago, the idea for development waterway bus has been had before. The city had opened a route from Bach Dang to Thanh Da peninsula, Binh Thanh District. But, the waterway bus route failed completely. Since, the project of river bus just stays on the desk, not be continued exploiting in the rivers.

HCM City need implement waterway bus as soon as possible. Photo: Kien Cuong

"If the city does not do now, it will be slow," Tran The Ky, Deputy Director of Transportation & Traffic talked to VnExpress.net in the meeting about the planned network of waterways HCM City to 2020 in this afternoon . According to Mr. Ky, Thailand has developed waterway bus from 1975, but Ho Chi Minh City still is quiet. In Bangkok - Thailand, waterway buses promote the best performance when combined with tourism. Bus boat operates only 6:00am-8:00am and 4:00pm-6:00pm, the remaining time of the day is for tourists. "About 10 years, tourism in Ho Chi Minh City will develop to attract a large number of tourists so it is necessary to have land area on the shore, combination of terminals and other services. Therefore, the city must keep the necessary land right now" Mr. Ky analyzed.

Waterway Management is researching 3 routes of waterways to invest development, plan the project of waterway bus. In this project, we calculated how much the land need to build piers, float bridges, parking or other convenient locations connected to the road system. Like buses, not exclude the possibility that the city will subsidize to cover losses for ships like current road bus.

Representatives of the Department of Transportation said that this time is very convenient to deploy waterway bus as the urban with high-rise buildings are developing.

"The lesson from failure of first line in Thanh Da 10 years ago will be studied carefully. At that time, there is no stations to pick guests up, only run from starting place to ending place, there were so few people to use the route from Bach Dang Wharf to Thanh Da. Now, we will study, there will have a station to pick guests up about 500m-700m apart", Mr. Ky gave his idea.

To agree with this opinion, Mr. Tran Xuan Dung, Director of Development Research Institute of Transport & Traffic, the subordinate of Development Strategy Transport & Traffic - Ministry of Transport realized that boat buses are calculated for the future. "Waterway bus is one of the measures to help" share the fire "for the road congestion," he said.

This afternoon, Department of Transport announced the planned network of waterways, ports, wharves to the year of 2020 in HCM City.

Accordingly, the inland waterway line of the inner belt, the axis of East-West Avenue, the route of Saigon River - Te Channel - Doi Channel – Cho Dem River, Ben Luc - Long An. Another line is route of Ben Nghe canal - Tau Hu channel. Network planning also includes the rivers that link the inner city and suburban areas. Inter provincial routes, short circuit, the wharves of inland waterway, and scenes of stations in the region. HCM City is expected VND 12,000 billion for the implementation of this plan. Specifically, more than VND 4,640 billion for dredging rivers, more than 5,400 billion for building embankments along rivers, VND 2,000 billion to relocate and build new ports in the future.

Kiên Cường

VnExpress.net