Urban railways are an effective means of transport that will help cut greenhouse gas emissions in Hanoi and HCM City, which have both experienced serious air pollution in recent years, according to a survey by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The survey was conducted from February 2019 to September 2020 regarding Hanoi’s metro lines No 1 and No 2 and HCM City’s metro line No 1, which are being built using Japanese ODA, and was released at a workshop in Hanoi on October 23.

JICA experts estimate that Hanoi’s metro lines have the potential to lower carbon emissions by more than 94,000 tonnes per year, while the southern hub’s line may contribute a 56,877-tonne reduction each year.

JICA Chief Representative Murooka Naomichi said he hopes the survey will help raise public awareness about the importance of metro lines in major cities like Hanoi and HCM City.

Along with satisfying local people’s travel demand, metro lines also contribute to realising Vietnam’s target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 9% by 2030 compared to the Business-As-Usual Scenario under the updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which was recently submitted to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, he said.

At the workshop, Director of the Ministry of Transport’s Department of Environment Tran Anh Duong spoke highly of JICA’s support, adding the survey will be used to complete the transport sector’s measurement system.

According to a recent interview, 81% of people living along HCM City’s metro line No 1 and 66% of those along Hanoi’s metro line No.1 said they are willing to change from their usual means of transport and take the train.