Hanoi Subway to Open First Section in Q2 This Year...Will the Commute War End?

Line 1 Gatlinn-Hadong to Open After Seol
Line 2 Elevated Section Non-Hanoi to Operate Within the Year

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Hanoi Correspondent Jo Ara] Hanoi's first above-ground metro is finally expected to begin commercial operation in the second quarter of this year. As the metro's commercial operation, delayed several times since 2017, approaches, the anticipation among Hanoi citizens suffering from the daily motorcycle traffic war is growing.

The first section of the Hanoi Metro to be introduced is Line 1, the Cat Linh-Ha Dong section. Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The announced at the end of last year that a 20-day test, including a safety evaluation procedure for the Cat Linh-Ha Dong section, had been completed. The transport authorities stated that the accuracy of the test operation reached 99.6?99.8%, and it was confirmed that safe operation over 70,000 km would be possible. At that time, Deputy Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong explained, "Since the last test operation, it has been confirmed that the Cat Linh-Ha Dong railway project is capable of normal operation, and it is expected to be transferred to Hanoi city by the end of March."

The Cat Linh-Ha Dong subway section is 13 km long, running from Dong Da downtown to Yen Nghia in Ha Dong district, and is the first of the eight metro lines planned for Hanoi. A Hanoi Metro official stated that after the Lunar New Year holiday and once the line officially begins commercial operation, passengers will be able to use it free of charge for 15 days.

The Hanoi Metro Line 2, connecting Non and Hanoi Station, also conducted its first test run on the 22nd of last month to prepare for commercial operation. Line 2's maximum speed is 80 km/h, with a normal operating speed of 35 km/h. It can accommodate 944 to 1,124 passengers. The test run covered 5 km of the 12.5 km route from the western area of Nam Tu Liem (Non Station), which includes the Korean-dense residential area Midong Song Da, to downtown. The Ministry of Transport plans to issue a safety certificate next quarter based on the pilot operation to evaluate the system's stability and precision, and then hand over the metro to Hanoi authorities for operation. The elevated section is scheduled to be ready by the end of this year, and the underground section will be prepared starting one year later. Most of the subway construction is expected to be completed by April, aiming for commercial operation in 2022.

Meanwhile, the Hanoi Metro project has been carried out as an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) project, where Chinese companies provide a one-stop service from design to procurement of parts and materials, and construction, funded by an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan from the Chinese government.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.