Hanoi Department of Transport representatives, World Bank and international consultants and supervisors have trial run the first bus to check the finishing tasks of the Kim Ma-Yen Nghia rapid bus transit route on December 17.
Hanoi tests new bus rapid transit system
The bus left Kim Ma Street at 9.30am to head to Yen Nghia Bus Station. Representative of the Department of Transport said in the second phase, they'd start test run so that drivers could get used to the new buses and the routes.
During this phase, they'll gradually increase the number of buses both in off-peak and rush hours. From December 25, a bus-only lane will be opened with help from traffic police.
According to Nguyen Hoang Hai, director of the city's Public Transport Management and Operation Centre, the buses and constructions of all the stops are completed. However, they still have to put up route information and notice boards.
The bus rapid transit system will officially go into operation by January 1.
The 90-passenger capacity buses runs on the 14-km route distance from Kim Ma to Yen Nghia Station in the outlying district of Ha Dong, with a journey time of 40-45 minutes.
This is part of Hanoi's project to develop a network of eight bus rapid transit routes by 2030. The project has a total investment of USD55 million with the majority sourced from the World Bank.
