Hanoi inaugurates Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line

The Ministry of Transport in collaboration with the Hanoi People's Committee and the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam held a ceremony to inaugurate the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line on January 13.

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong said that the project, one of the eight urban railway projects connecting the city downtown and satellite urban areas, has been the first to be invested with an aim to reduce traffic overload in the western part of the capital city, and contribute to boosting the city’s socio-economic development.

Dong said that the completed project has been accepted in line with regulations. The quality assessment results were approved by the State Council for Acceptance of Construction Projects. It was put into operation on November 6, 2021.

The inauguration of the project marks a new milestone in the country’s urban railway construction with the success of the first metro line in Hanoi and Vietnam, he stated.

He pledged that the ministry will continue to direct relevant agencies to complete all the remaining works of the project and conduct maintenance activities, while working closely with the People’s Committee of Hanoi during the operation of the project as well as implementation of other urban railway projects in the city.

Meanwhile, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Van Quyen said that after more than two months of operation, the metro line has been running smoothly and safely.

On average, the line transports 14,917 passengers per day, he added.

For his part, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo showed his pleasure to attend the inauguration of the first metro line in Vietnam. He noted that despite difficulties during the implementation, the metro line has been completed and put into operation thanks to the great attention of leaders of the two countries' Parties, Governments, ministries and sectors.

With 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./.