Hanoi metro line gets ready for trial run next year

The first train for Hanoi's second metro line to be constructed, one of ten being made in France, is expected to arrive in Vietnam this July.

A dynamic test, involving checks of vehicle stability, safety against derailment, track fatigue, several comfort characteristics and other aspects, will follow two months later, according to the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board.

The 8.5 kilometers of elevated tracks with eight stations will first be put into operation in April 2021, the board said.

The Nhon-Hanoi metro line will run a total of 12.5 kilometers from the Nhon area in the western district of Nam Tu Liem via Kim Ma Street to Hanoi Railway Station on Le Duan Street. The underground section, four kilometers long, was earlier scheduled to begin operations more than a year later.

The board has said it is working on a plan to recruit and train personnel for operating and maintaining the route.

Each train for the Nhon-Hanoi line will have four cars with a total length of 78.2 meters. They will have 94 seats and a capacity of 944 passengers.

It will run at a speed of 35 kilometers per hour, with a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour, mirroring those operating in Paris, Berlin, and several major cities in Asia.

The dates have been announced based on approval of the adjusted schedule for completion of the project. The route was first supposed to be completed in September 2017.

This is the second delay the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station project has experienced. Work originally began in September 2010 for the September 2017 deadline. But early in 2017, Hanoi authorities extended it to 2021.

Under the latest deadline, Hanoi authorities have said the entire route would begin operations by December 2022.

The second metro line for the capital city carries a total investment of VND36 trillion ($1.56 billion), sourced mainly from official development assistance (ODA).

Last October, French rail contractor Alstom revealed the line's train, painted in light green, red and white, mimicking the colors of the dragon fruit, a famous Vietnamese farm produce.

Hanoi plans to build eight urban railway lines across the central city area with a combined length of 305 km, including three monorail segments, in its development plan for 2030 orienting towards 2050, according to a government report.