Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line officially put into commercial operation (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - The Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line project in Hanoi was officially inaugurated and put into commercial operation in the morning of November 6 after 10 years of construction.
The line, which runs from Cat Linh in Ba Dinh district to Ha Dong district, is the first urban railway put into operation in the country.
Speaking at the handover ceremony of the line, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong said that the Government and Hanoi authorities are paying attention to investing in transport infrastructure and expanding investment in public passenger transport so as to reduce traffic congestion. Hanoi plans to build 10 urban railway lines, of which the Cat Linh-Ha Dong is the first pilot project to be built.
In order to maximise the effectiveness of the project, it is necessary to have a concerted connection among other means of transport soon in order to complete the metro line network as approved in the development planning, Deputy Minister Dong said.
“The Ministry of Transport requests that the Metropolitan Railway Management Board direct the EPC General Contractor (China) to closely coordinate with the Hanoi Railway One Member Limited Company (Metro Hanoi) in managing, operating, and maintaining the system," added Dong.
Leading officials of Ministry of Transport and Hanoi at the handover ceremony of Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line project (Photo: VNA)
Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Duong Duc Tuan said that according to the Hanoi urban railway network planning, the 10 metro lines in the city will have a total length of 417.8km by 2030.
At the current pace of progress, it takes 8-10 years to build a metro line. The mobilisation of ODA capital needs a breakthrough to help speed up the construction and thus better meet the people’s travel demands.
“The Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line project plays an important role in public transport and is the first step of urban railway planning. The city of Hanoi has directed relevant departments and localities to coordinate with the investor in conducting site clearance of the project. The project has been completed and accepted. Sufficient human resources and management capacity have been prepared, and it has been handed over for operation and use,” emphasised Tuan.
Tuan voiced appreciation for the efforts of the Metropolitan Railway Management Board, the EPC General Contractor, departments and localities where the metro line goes through, and the workers who put the project into operation. He said that through this project, the city has also learned many lessons for implementing future projects.
He requested Metro Hanoi to run trains safely and accurately, maintain vehicles and technical infrastructure, and operate the station efficiently./.
| The construction of the Cat Linh – Ha Dong metro line started in October 2011 and was completed in November 2018. Numerous technical tests and operation trials have been carried out since then. The quality assessment results of the metro line were approved by the State Council for Acceptance of Construction Projects on October 29. It was the final step for the project to begin commercial operation. With a total investment of approximately 886 million USD, funded by Chinese ODA, the elevated line is more than 13km long and has 12 stations and 13 trains. Each train, whose designed speed is 80 km per hour, has four carriages capable of carrying over 900 passengers. It takes a train just over 23 minutes to run from the first station to the last. The trains operate from 5am to 11pm daily. The municipal People’s Committee has announced the price of the tickets for the metro. The cheapest is 7,000 VND (0.31 USD) for a single trip. A day pass is 30,000 VND. A monthly pass for one passenger is priced at 200,000 VND. The capital city is offering free travel for all passengers during the first 15 days after the line is put into operation. |
