The Cat Linh - Ha Dong metro line in Hanoi starts commercial operation, after 10 years of construction. Hundreds of people queue at the station, waiting to board the train.
Each passenger is given a train pass.
After being free for the first 15 days, it will cost VND8,000–15,000 ($0.35–0.66) for a ticket.
There will also be monthly tickets for VND100,000-200,000.
The train cars are filled with passengers, with many having to stand. According to Vu Hong Truong, director of Hanoi Railway One Member Limited Company, the train carried about 400-500 passengers Saturday morning.
A train departs every 15 minutes, with the frequency to be adjusted after the first 15 days.
Tran Ngoc Quynh from Hoang Mai District goes to Cat Linh Station at 7 a.m. with his friend, saying he is "thrilled because I was waiting quite long to see the metro line enter operation."
Having used metro lines in Europe before, Quynh says the train in Hanoi runs smoothly, while stations, elevators, and platforms are all well-constructed and convenient.
Ngoc and Trang are happy to travel by train with their two children.
"The family were excited since last night. I work in the infrastructure sector, so I want to experience this," Ngoc, the husband, says.
The train passes Ring Road 3, at the Nguyen Trai - Nguyen Xien intersection.
A total of 52 bus routes run along the metro line, with 16 of them passing through Cat Linh Station. To help citizens have easier access to the metro line, Hanoi has added and adjusted many bus routes, and established many parking lots for personal vehicles at each station.
A woman takes a photo of the moving train from a coffee shop on Nguyen Trai Street.
Built by China Railway Sixth Group Co Ltd, the project took 10 years to complete with hurdles and conflicts delaying work several times.
Its cost increased by 57 percent from the original estimate to VND18 trillion ($868 million), with 77 percent of it coming from official Chinese development assistance loans.
