Japanese firms Toshiba, Hitachi and ITOCHU have partnered to supply an intelligent transport systems (ITS) package to the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC).
The new JPY4bn ($39.1m) order includes delivery of electronic toll collection (ETC), traffic control and equipment monitoring systems, and marks the first integrated ITS package that Japanese companies have received from overseas.
The ITS package will be deployed on the 55km-long Ho Chi Minh and Dau Giay section of Vietnam’s North-South Expressway.
Toshiba will deliver ITS equipment, while Hitachi will be responsible for construction and ITOCHU will look after and related business affairs.
The project will be supported by loan assistance from the Japanese government, and will begin commercial operations in the first half of 2017.
The North-South Expressway, which is currently under construction, will link Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital, with Ho Chi Minh City, through Da Nang.
Increasing traffic jams are a threat to the continuing economic development of southern Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City, with road use and congestion projected to grow in the region.
Installation of the new ITS package on the expressway’s Ho Chi Minh and Dau Giay section will help reduce traffic jams and improve logistics efficiency.
Toshiba, Hitachi and ITOCHU have been selected by VEC, the project owner, on the basis of their competitive bid.
