Construction of the 8.5 km elevated section from Nhon depot to S8 station (the University of Transport and Communications) has been completed, with equipment installed, and system integration tested, according to the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB). 

The elevated section of the Nhon - Hanoi station metro line has now been completed. Photo: Pham Hung/The Hanoi Times

Eight elevated stations and the Nhon depot have passed fire safety inspections. All ten trains have been registered and tagged. Equipment at the stations and depot has also been certified and affixed with an inspection stamp as per regulations.

Systra, the consulting firm, has issued the Take-Over Certificate (TOC) for each contract package. The Apave Bureau Veritas - Certifer (ABC) consortium has completed its field assessment, confirming the readiness of the operational unit, and is finalizing the final report to issue the system safety certification, expected on July 10.

Once ABC has submitted its report and certification, MRB will present the system safety certification dossier to the Vietnam Railway Authority (Ministry of Transport) for appraisal and approval. Finally, the State Inspection Council will convene to review the acceptance results and approve the commercial operation of the elevated section.

Regarding operational personnel, MRB reported that 353 employees of the Hanoi Metro Company have been trained. The project's trial operation was completed at the end of May. "The Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board is making every effort to complete the necessary procedures to put the project into commercial operation as soon as possible," a representative of the MRB said. However, the exact date of the elevated section's inauguration has not been disclosed.

Costing an investment of VND34.83 trillion (US$1.37 billion), the Nhon-Hanoi Station metro line is 12.5 km long, with an 8.5 km elevated section (Nhon to Cau Giay) and a 4 km underground section (Cau Giay to Hanoi Station). The project began in 2009, with an original completion date of 2015, but after several delays, the new completion date for the entire line has been reset to 2027, with the elevated section expected to be operational by July 2024.