Nguyen Huu Thang, head of the Vietnam Railway Authority, was today suspended from the post for his irresponsible statements to local media about a scandalous rail construction project in Hanoi.

The decision was today approved the Minister of Transport, Dinh La Thang.

The minister also demanded Thang to review his personal responsibility in the increase of the construction cost of US$339 million for the urban railway construction project Cat Linh – Ha Dong in Hanoi.

The construction of the project was started in 2011 with an approved investment capital of US$552 million, $419 of which came from China’s ODA fund. It is planned to put into operation in June 2015.

However, the progress of the project has failed to meet its schedule due to problems in land clearance and the ineffectiveness of the project’s management board.

The tardiness causes the cost of the project going up from $552 million to $891 million.

The chief of the Vietnam Railway Authority even added to the ineffectiveness of the project construction by his random speech that was accused of ‘irresponsible and inadequate’.

In an interview with Tien Phong newspaper, he said, “We tried our best. We gained no compliments for completing many jobs, but now we are given a row for just a small adjustment.”

Tran Phi Thuong, deputy chief of the Vietnam Railway Authority, was assigned to take over the agency during the period Thang was suspended.