The first train of Hanoi’s second metro line, Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station, is en route to Vietnam, Kinhtedothi.vn reported, citing the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MBR).

The first train has been completed, and calibrated with all the interior hardware installed for the test run in the factory campus in Valenciennes, France, the MBR said, adding that the train is expected to arrive in Vietnam’s Hai Phong port on October 24, instead of July as planned due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is the first of four trains being produced for the line out of a total of ten. The second will arrived in January 2021 and all the ten will be ready in the country by next June.

The Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station metro line, the second route after 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.

It will run 8.5 kilometers on elevated tracks through eight stations and the remaining four kilometers underground. The underground track is scheduled to be inaugurated in 2022.

The total cost of the project has been adjusted upwards to EUR1.176 billion. Of the total, EUR178.7 million is sourced from ODA fund provided by the French Development Agency (AFD) and EUR355.1 million are loans French government loan.

It is one of several metro lines planned for the capital city to ease traffic congestion and reduce emissions.

The followings are photos of the first train of Hanoi’s second metro line:

The MRB said that the first train of Hanoi’s metro line 3 left Dunkirk port (France) for Hai Phong port on September 2.

The train will dock at Klang port (Malaysia) on October 5. It will leave Klang port on October 7 and arrive in Hai Phong port on October 24 (as scheduled). The unit in charge of shipping the train is Geodis Projets SAS (France).

Alstom Group (France) is the supplier of the integrated subway system for Hanoi’s metro line 3 project.

Each train will be composed of four or five wagons with a maximum capacity of 950 passengers. It is made of aluminum alloy in accordance with European standards, with a total length of 78.27 meters.

The exterior and interior of the train are painted in the color of dragon fruit and rice field.

Alstom Project Director Sylvia Sannelli said that this is a unique look and dedicated to Hanoi’s metro line 3 project. The train is designed to withstand erratic weather conditions, especially monsoons.