Construction of Hanoi’s second metro line, Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station, has progressed on schedule in 2020 despite impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, Kinh Te & Do reported, citing a representative of the French embassy in Vietnam.

Speaking at a press briefing on October 28, the representatives said that the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station metro line will serve 8,600 passengers per hour, and the capacity is projected to increase to 23,900. 

The first train for the Nhon-Hanoi station metro line arrives at the Nhon Depot in Hanoi in October. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn

The line will contribute to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, thus contributing to the fight against climate change, the representative noted.

The metro line's elevated tracks are expected to become operational in late 2021 while construction of the underground tracks will commence in the first quarter of 2021, the representative added.

For his part, Head of the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Board Nguyen Cao Minh said that almost 66% of the project has been completed, of which the progress of construction and installation of equipment for the elevated section has reached approximately 81%.

In particular, after considerable efforts, the first train (out of the total of 10) for the Nhon-Hanoi Station line arrived at the Nhon Depot in Hanoi in mid-October from Dunkerque, France.

Before the project is put into official operation in 2021, the elevated section will undergo a test run in tandem with the tunneling of the underground section, Mr. Minh noted.

He stressed that the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station line is one of the nine metro lines planned for Hanoi, which are expected to become the backbone of the traffic system in the city, improve people’s quality of life, and contribute to reducing the use of private vehicles.

The Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station metro line, one of Hanoi’s first two metro lines together with Cat Linh-Ha Dong, spans 12.5 kilometers from Nhon in the western district of Nam Tu Liem through Kim Ma street to the Hanoi Train Station in the downtown area.

The metro line will run 8.5 kilometers on elevated tracks through eight stations and the remaining four kilometers underground.

It is expected that the 8.5 km overhead section will be put into use in the second half of 2021, i.e from Nhon to S8 station (near the University of Transport in Cau Giay district). The remaining 4km underground will be inaugurated at the end of 2022.