Brian Jeffrey
The Hanoi Urban Railway Management Board recently announced that the State Council for Construction Project Acceptance conditionally approved the inspection results. This allows the commercial operations of the elevated section of the Nhon-Hanoi metro line to begin on August 9.
Around the project route on August 5, observers witnessed several trains conducting trial runs from Nhon depot to Cau Giay station.
However, by the afternoon of August 5, some stations along the line still had their exteriors covered with tarps, creating a messy environment.
At Station S01 – Nhon, the starting point of the line, incomplete staircase handrails were observed.
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The area was cluttered and dusty, devoid of workers, with some station pathways equipped with security cameras.
Given the current condition, it seems unlikely that the project will be operational in just three days.
Despite sunny weather on August 5, rainwater remained stagnant at Nhon station from prior days.
All eight elevated stations and the Nhon depot have received approval for fire safety inspections.
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At Station S8 – Cau Giay, access paths were littered with trash on August 5. Elevators and escalators were covered with tarps for protection.
After numerous delays, equipment and materials installed at the stations have lost their new appearance and are now tarnished.
Workers are currently working on completing sidewalks and roadbeds in the workshop area.
The project utilizes a 1,435mm dual-gauge railway with European standard UIC 60 rails. The train cars are medium-sized with a total length of 78.3m.
Construction materials clutter the area where the track descends to the underground section beside Thu Le Lake.
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A month ago, Nhon station appeared relatively clean based on reporters’ observations.
The Nhon-Hanoi metro line covers 12.5 km, with 8.5 km elevated and around 4 km underground.
Route: Nhon – National Highway 32 – Cau Dien – Mai Dich – Ring Road 3 intersection – Cau Giay – Kim Ma – Cat Linh – Quoc Tu Giam – Hanoi Station.
The project, which started in September 2010 with an initial completion goal of 2016, has faced delays. The new expected full operation timeline is 2027, with an investment that has almost doubled to over 34.5 trillion VND.
Pham Hai – Hoang Ha
