Growing trees under Cat Linh-Ha Dong elevated metro line in Hanoi has raised public concern that it could affect the railway and traffic.
Hanoi Park and Green Tree Company has grown hundreds of trees under this railway which is still under construction.
Hundreds of trees have just been grown under Cat Linh-Ha Dong elevated railway
The company said that the grown trees are Tropical Almonds.
The trees have large leaf canopies and small trunks so in case of collapse; they would not affect the railway.
Nguyen Xuan Hung, deputy director of the Hanoi Park and Green Tree Company, said that the company has grown these trees on Yen Lang and Hoang Cau streets under the 13-km railway on a trial basis.
"We’ll control the tree height so that this will not harm the elevated railway," Hung added.
According to Nguyen Lan Hung, a biological expert, the tree height can reach 20 metres, so, this would not affect the railway. This kind of tree has been planted under urban railway routes in other countries.
However, some other experts disagree with Hanoi Park and Green Tree Company's explanation, saying trees with height of just 2-3 metres should have been grown under the railway. It may be difficult to control the height of mature trees.
Pruning the tree tops or leaf canopy could cause trees to be damaged by insects and this was also costly, particularly when Hanoi has been trying to save money on such work. Frequent trimming would also affect the traffic.
