Hanoi’s elevated metro line will partly open in 2024.
The elevated part of the Nhon-Hanoi Station metro line in Vietnam is scheduled to open during the Reunification Day-Labor Day holiday in 2024, between April 30th and May 1st.
During a traffic and road management conference hosted by the Hanoi People’s Council, Vice Chairman Duong Duc Tuan highlighted that the upcoming launch of the second elevated section of the line in Hanoi might increase public transport usage from 19% to 21.5% among the city’s population.
Hanoi is contemplating two strategies to curtail personal vehicle use by 2030: a potential ban on motorbikes in specific districts and implementing charges for vehicles entering downtown areas.
However, Vice Chairman Tuan indicated that restricting personal vehicles would only be considered once the usage of public transport reaches a minimum of 30%. To achieve this goal, Hanoi aims to establish light rail as the primary mode of transportation by constructing 10 lines totaling 417 km by 2030, comprising 342 km of elevated tracks and 75 km underground.
Notably, the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line, completed after 12 years, became operational in November 2021.
Vice Chairman Tuan expressed dissatisfaction with the current pace of ongoing projects, stating that at the current rate, it would take an impractical 150 years to finish the proposed 10 urban railways in Hanoi.
He emphasized the need to expedite the progress and mentioned that the capital is devising a plan to accelerate the development of these urban railways. The anticipated cost for constructing these 10 urban railways in Hanoi is estimated to be approximately VND1 quadrillion ($411.68 billion).
The Nhon-Hanoi Station metro line comprises 12.5 km, featuring eight elevated stations and four underground stops. Divided into an 8.5 km elevated section from Nhon to Cau Giay and a 4 km underground stretch from Cau Giay to Hanoi Station, the project commenced in 2009 with an initial completion target of 2015. Owing to multiple setbacks, the revised completion date for the entire line has been extended to 2027. Presently, the project stands at 78% completion.
Hanoi had proposed opening the elevated section of the line for operation in August 2023 back in March.
