Hanoi's metro train test runs at 80 kph on autopilot

At 10:30 a.m., the train on the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station line left the depot for the S1 Station that is located in front of the Hanoi University of Industry, to begin its test run.

It then ran from the S1 Station to the S8 Station (Nhon-Cau Giay), about 8.5 km apart, stopping at each station for a few minutes.

Le Trung Hieu, deputy director of the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB), confirmed the train's maximum speed on Monday was 80 kph.

The test run aimed to evaluate the synchronicity between the metro's information, signal and control systems, he added.

Since July, several test runs have been performed with trains at the Depot and the railway track between S1 and S8 stations. The Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station metro line currently has 10 trains manufactured in France.

The line is the first segment of the capital's third metro line (Nhon-Hoang Mai). It is 12.5 km long, with elevated parts spanning 8.5 km and the remaining 4 km underground.

After construction began in September 2010, the project is around 74 percent complete. Progress on the underground section has been halted over relocation issues.

Dinh Tien Dung, secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, has called for the elevated section of the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station to begin operations by the end of next year.