Hanoi begins work on its first urban railway

Construction of the first urban railway linking Nhon and the Hanoi Railway Station starts today in the capital.

The 12.5-kilometre route with a total cost amounting to over USD 1 billion will run through five districts of Tu Liem, Cau Giay, Dong Da, Hoan Kiem and Ba Dinh. The route includes such streets as Nhon, Cau Dien, Mai Dich, Cau Giay, Kim Ma, Nui Truc, Giang Vo, Cat Linh, and Quoc Tu Giam.

According to the Hanoi Urban Railway Transport Project Board, the route will feature 12 stations, 4 of which will be built underground. All the stations will be equipped with an automatic ticket-checking system which only accepts smart cards or coins.

The metro will have 4 cabins which can carry more than 900 passengers and run at a maximum speed of 80 kilometres per hour.

Construction package No.4, which includes site clearance and infrastructure preparation, will be carried out first.

The Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station route will be constructed mainly using ODA and corresponding domestic capital. The project is scheduled to be finished and put into operation by the end of 2015.