Da Nang People's Committee Vice Chairman Dang Viet Dung on Monday met with representatives from the South Korea-based Seoul Metro Corporation whose successor is the Seoul Transportation Corporation, to discuss the building of basic plan framework for a smart transport system in Da Nang.

During his meeting with Vice Chairman Dung, Mr Shim Seung Moo, the Director of International Relations of Seoul Metro, said, his company surveyed the existing traffic situation in Da Nang from 24 June to 2 July. According to the survey’s results, Da Nang now has a higher population growth rate than the national average, and the traffic volume has increased sharply in recent years, especially in the inner city. Meanwhile, the potential of the public transport system have yet to be fully tapped.

The South Korean guest also pointed out to the fact that the Da Nang Traffic Lights and Public Transport Management Centre (DATRAMAC) now faces a shortage of personnel in charge of management and operation missions, and lacks an accident response process. Therefore, it is highly recommended that Da Nang should cooperate with Seoul Metro to receive a non-refundable aid from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for the implementation of a smart transport project.

The Seoul Metro-proposed project aims to reduce traffic congestion, speed up the response to traffic accidents, train staff for the self-management and operation of traffic control centres, and provide accurate information on traffic for road users.

Under the project, in 2021, Seoul Metro will set up a detailed plan framework for designing and building a smart transport system in Da Nang with a focus on setting up an advanced traffic management system (ATMS), an integrated management centre, and an information delivery system.

In 2022, the South Korean company will purchase equipment, test systems and offer on-site personnel training.

In 2023, focus will be on giving training on management skills and the operation of specialised systems for Da Nang’s involved personnel, and setting up a process to handle fire and explosion situations in the city.

Vice Chairman Dung highlighted the important role of the above-mentioned project in promoting smart transport in Da Nang, and suggested that Seoul Metro coordinate with the city to build the project’s implementation plans for its submission to KOICA for approval.

The host also affirmed, Da Nang is currently deploying the framework of the overall smart city architecture and management software in such aspects as education, healthcare, and transport, all of which would lay a strong foundation for implementing the Seoul Metro proposed-project. This project is expected to count cars, and forecast traffic flow and growth rate, hereby helping the city develop plans for upgrading the local transport network, reduce traffic congestion.

Seoul Metro was a public corporation owned by Seoul Metropolitan Government, and one of the major operators of Seoul Metropolitan Subway with Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation and Korail.