Siemens keen on Vietnam’s metro opportunities

Siemens is discussing investment opportunities in metro expansion and traffic system management in Vietnam’s big cities
Photo: Le Toan

Roland Busch, a member of Siemens AG’s managing board and CEO of Siemens Infrastructure & Cities told VIR at last week’s Singapore-based World Cities Summit that his company was “finding more partners and will not miss any investment and business opportunities in Vietnam”.

He said Siemens AG was discussing investment opportunities with Vietnamese leaders and heads of cities in metro expansion, smart traffic system management, power supply and energy efficient buildings. “If these solutions are applied, the Vietnamese government and public could save significant sums of money.”

Andreas Mehlhorn, head of Siemens AG’s IT Solutions, Mobility and Logistics, told VIR that Siemens had been pursuing the Metro Line 2 project in Ho Chi Minh City since 1993, “and we’re also working with the city’s authorities in developing the proposal for a feasibility study for a traffic control centre in Vietnam’s fastest growing city”.

Under Siemens’ Metro Line 2 study, the 10.2 kilometre metro line will run mostly underground beneath the busiest parts of the city and potentially handle two million passengers a day.

The project, mainly constructed of recyclable materials, should lead to 1,100 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) savings per day.

“Currently, the city has a population of around 10 million people and still lacks a mass transit system. Public transport and an intelligent traffic management system are keys to resolving this dilemma”, Mehlhorn said.

Siemens has worked on metro systems throughout the world, including Singapore, where Siemens’ signalling and electrification systems have been used.

A recent Siemens-commissioned study conducted by London-based consulting firm Credo on transportation networks in 35 major cities around the globe released last week revealed that if the cities implemented relative “best in class” standards, they could gain economic benefits of up to $238 billion annually by 2030.

“The big opportunity for Vietnam is to apply the experience of the world’s leading cities without having to upgrade or alter much in the way of existing infrastructure – particularly so with the metros. It will require significant investment over the long term, but the opportunities for Vietnam to develop world class transportation systems in its major cities are highly significant,” Predo’s partner Chris Molloy told VIR.

Siemens currently has a factory in the southern province of Binh Duong making busbar trunking systems which are exported to over 50 countries.

“We will invest more to increase the output thanks to the growing global demand,” Mehlhorn said.

Siemens Vietnam’s CEO Pham Thai Lai also said the company would contribute to helping ease Vietnam’s severe power shortage through participation in the 720 megawatt Phu My 3, 1,500MW Ca Mau 1 and 2, and 750MW Nhon Trach combined-cycle power plants. Siemens’ technologies have also been widely applied in the healthcare, metal, cement, paper, food and beverage sectors.