Metro

Over a decade dream

After the great efforts of relevant units, on October 8, 2020, the first metro cars of the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien metro line officially were shipped to Ho Chi Minh City and transported to Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City in the evening of the same day.

In the first quarter of 2021, the train will be put into trial operation at the depot. It is expected to start trial operation in the stretch from the depot to Binh Thai in the third quarter and from the depot to Tan Cang (New Port) in the fourth quarter. As for the last step, it will run along the whole route with the trial operation of 11 different systems including electrical systems, signal information systems, and rails.

From now, the production, checking and importing of the remaining wagons are being accelerated in accordance with the project progress.

Mr. Huynh Thanh Tri, a resident living near Thu Duc Intersection shared that after many years waiting for the metro line, he is proud of the city’s public transport system which is considered to be as modern as many developed countries in the world. He hoped to be one of the first passengers to experience the first metro line.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Thanh, whose house is near Hanoi Highway shared that the project has been step-by-step formed after ten years of difficulties and challenges. As a city resident, he is very proud of the city’s iconic project which would be a chance for the city’s economic and tourism development. He also expected that the first metro line would be a “springboard” to build other metro lines, develop public transport system to reduce the traffic jam.

Heading towards the smart city

The synchronized transport infrastructures, in which the metro lines are an indispensable part, are among the core elements to build the smart-city to meet the operational needs of the world’s megacities and Ho Chi Minh City is not out of this criteria. As this reason, the local people and city government are day-by-day awaiting for the first metro line to be officially put into operation.

The Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board (MAUR) has set a target of putting the first metro line into exploitation by the end of 2021. Meanwhile, relevant sides are striving to complete site clearance and compensation to start work on the second metro line of Ben Thanh – Tham Luong in 2021.

HCMC waits for operation of first metro line day-by- day.

The underground department store Ben Thanh under Quach Thi Trang Square and along Le Loi Street, District 1 is expected to be completed in accordance with metro line No.1, connecting to the surrounding urban areas such as streets of Le Loi, Ham Nghi, Dong Khoi, Nguyen Hue and surrounding buildings. It is expected to international trade chains promoting the service quality in the downtown area.

The project has its total investment of VND6,800 billion (nearly US$296 million), with an area of 45.000 square meters, including 18.100 square meters of stores and shops and 21.500 square meters of corridor and underground square.

In parallel, the Thu Thiem 2 Bridge Project with a design of 1.4- kilometer length and six lanes is about to be built which is considered to be the special project of the city connecting District 1 with Thu Duc City.

With art lighting design, the project is not only an iconic architecture in Saigon River by night but also a welcome symbol from the city’s center to Thu Thiem new urban area.

According to Mr. Bui Xuan Cuong, these key projects will bring a new image to the city’s center.

The transformation makes the heart of Ho Chi Minh City more pedestrian-friendly, creating a better link between commercial buildings, services and cultural heritage buildings, better connecting with Thu Thiem new urban area on the other side of the Saigon River, contributing to creating strong momentum to the East of Ho Chi Minh City.

Besides that, it is expected to be a “springboard” to promote economic development in general, improve transport infrastructure in particular, contributing to helping Ho Chi Minh City develop rapidly in the near future.

By Quoc Hung- Translated by Huyen Huong

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The Hanoitimes – After three months stored at Nhon Depot, the first train of the route is on trial run on five kilometers from stations S1 and S5 in Nam Tu Liem district.

The first train of Hanoi’s second metro line, Nhon-Hanoi Station project, officially rolled on the track on a trial basis on January 22, preparing to test the interlock.

After three months stored at Nhon Depot, the first train of the route is on trial run on five kilometers from stations S1 and S5 in Nam Tu Liem district.

Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB) said the trial run lasted an hour with train’s average speed of below 10 kilometers per hour. The train stopped at every station and was technically checked.

The train is operated at an idle and the driver is Mustapha Mdjkoune, an experienced operator from Alstom, according to the MRB.

Nhon-Hanoi Station metro route has a total of ten trains valued at EUR110 million. The second train is expected to arrive at Haiphong Port by late this month.

Among the ten trains ordered, four would be included in the first batch to be delivered from France, MRB confirmed, adding that each would have four wagons with a total length of 78.27 meters, 94 seats and a capacity of almost 950 passengers. The train maximum designed speed is 80 kilometers per hour.

The Nhon-Hanoi Station metro line, with a cost of VND33 trillion (US$1.42 billion) mainly from the France’s official development assistance, will run 12.5 kilometers from Nhon in western Nam Tu Liem district to the city’s downtown railway station.

Works on the metro line started in September 2010 and so far eight elevated kilometers of the project have mostly been finished. It is expected to enter operation by the end of 2021, while the underground section to be opened at the end of 2022.

The followings are photos showing first train of Nhon-Hanoi Station metro line, which officially rolled on the track on a trial basis:

On January 23, many people visited the urban train of the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station line, which receives visitors at the S1 station, opposite to Hanoi University of Industry in Bac Tu Liem district in the West of Hanoi:

The Hanoitimes – Station S9 is a component of the first underground metro project in the capital city and the second one in Vietnam.

A representative of the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Board (MRB) on September 9 said that the second level of underground station S9 of Hanoi’s second metro line, Nhon-Hanoi Railway, has been completed, Kinh Te & Do Thi reported.

Nhon-Hanoi Railway has four underground stations: S9, S10, S11 and S12. The main level of Station S9 is under construction to connect up to the streets or down to the platforms via elevators.

Station S9’s main level is 19 meters below the ground. It is 23.3 meters wide, 186.6 meters long. Its construction is expected to be completed in about five months, and works on the whole station will be finished in late 2020.

The S9 station is the first underground metro project which has been carried out in the capital city and the second one in Vietnam (after the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line in Ho Chi Minh City).

The Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station route is 12.5 kilometers long from Nhon area in the western district of Nam Tu Liem, running along Kim Ma street to the Hanoi Railway Station in the downtown.

The total cost of the project has been revised up to EUR1.176 billion. Of the total, EUR178.7 million is funded with ODA provided by the French Development Agency (AFD) and EUR355.1 million is lent by the French government.

It is one of several metro lines planned for the capital city to ease traffic congestion and reduce emissions.

The followings are photos taken at underground station S9:

S9 is the first of four underground stations to be built on the line and located in the Kim Ma – Nguyen Chi Thanh junction.

Work on Station S9 has advanced the most among the four underground stations. The construction is often carried out at night, thus it makes no negative impact on traffic flow on the route or the urban landscape.

Currently, parts of a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) are being transported from Italy to Vietnam by sea and are expected to land in Hai Phong port on October 31.

It is the second level of underground station S9 that the TBM will be assembled and start excavating.

The TBM is 6.6 meters high and wide, about 100 meters long, including auxiliary systems.

It is expected that by March 2021, the MRB will break ground to drill the first meter of tunnel. The TBM will drill about 10 meters a day and will go from station S9 to station S12 on Tran Hung Dao street.

Construction of this project kicked off on October 10, 2010. According to the MRB, the project’s 8.5km of the elevated tracks will be inaugurated in April 2021, then the remaining 4km of the underground stretch will be completed in December 2022 and the entire line is expected to become operational by that time.

The TBM will be used to drill tunnels of Hanoi’s second metro line

The Hanoitimes – The first train’s arrival marks a pivotal period for the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station project to become operational soon.

The first train of Hanoi’s second metro line, Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station, arrived at Haiphong port on October 18, a week earlier than planned, Kinh Te & Do Thi reported.

This marked a pivotal period for the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station project to become operational soon.

The first train of Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station arrived at Haiphong port on October 18. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn

In September, the manufacture of the first train was completed, and the train was calibrated with all the interior hardware installed for the test run in the factory campus in Valenciennes, France.

This is the first of four trains to be produced for the line out of a total of ten. After arriving at Haiphong port, the train will be transported by super-heavy truck to the Nhon depot in Hanoi and rolled out on rails for test operation.

The second train is expected to arrive in Vietnam in January 2021 and all 10 trains of the Nhon-Hanoi Railway rolling stock will be in Hanoi by June of the same year.

Each train will be composed of four or five wagons with a maximum capacity of 950 passengers. It is made of aluminum alloy in accordance with European standards, measuring 78.27 meters in length.

The Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station metro line, the second of Hanoi after Cat Linh-Ha Dong, spans 12.5 kilometers from Nhon in the western district of Nam Tu Liem through Kim Ma street to the Hanoi Train Station in the downtown area.

It will run 8.5 kilometers on elevated tracks and the remaining four kilometers underground.

The work was supposed to be finished in September 2017, but delays pushed back the deadline several times.

It is expected that 8.5 km overhead section of the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station metro line will be put into use in the second half of 2021, i.e from Nhon to S8 station (near the University of Transport in Cau Giay district). The remaining 4km underground will be exploited at the end of 2022.

When being put into operation, the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station metro line is expected to be a highlight in urban traffic in Hanoi’s western area.

The Hanoitimes – Work on Station S9 has advanced the most among the four underground stations.

Nhon – Hanoi station Railway, Hanoi’s second metro line after the Cat Linh-Ha Dong, has four underground stations: S9, 10, 11 and 12. The main level of Station S9 has just been concreted to connect up to the streets or down to the platforms via elevators, Kinhtedothi.vn reported.

S9 is the first of four underground stations to be built on the route and located in the Kim Ma – Nguyen Chi Thanh junction.

“The concreted surface is the transfer floor and it has the two functions of picking up and seeing off passengers. Ticket counters and installing automatic ticketing devices will be installed here,” said Le Trung Hieu, deputy head of the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Board (MRB).

Work on Station S9 has advanced the most among the four underground stations. The construction is often carried out at night, thus it makes no negative impact on traffic flow on the route as well as the urban landscape.

According to the MRB’s leader, during the Covid-19 pandemic, construction of the Nhon – Hanoi Railway Station line continued with three shifts per day. Workers have made efforts to comply with the epidemic prevention measures and ensure the project’s progress.

It is expected that by the end of June 2020, the construction of concrete transfer floor will be completed.

“After more than a month of excavation, we have cleared the underground terrain. As scheduled, this underground station will be finished by 2022,” Hieu said.

Construction of this project was started on October 10, 2010. According to the MRB, the project’s first 8.5 km of the elevated tracks will be inaugurated in April 2021, then the remaining 4 km of the underground stretch will be completed in December 2022 and the entire line is expected to become operational by that time.

The total cost of the project has been revised up to EUR1.176 billion. Of the total, EUR178.7 million was sourced from ODA funding by the French Development Agency (AFD) and EUR355.1 million was lent by the French government.

It is one of several metro lines planned for the capital city to ease traffic congestion and reduce emissions.

The followings are photos taken at underground station S9:

Workers are trained on safety protocol before going underground

Workers sign working-shift book before starting the shift

Site is cleaned to minimize dust

60 vehicles carry fresh concrete for the underground station

An overview of the site

The Hanoitimes – Construction of the S9 station is expected to be completed in about five months, and construction of the whole station will be finished in late 2020.

Nhon – Hanoi Railway, Hanoi’s second metro line after the Cat Linh-Ha Dong, has four underground stations: S9, 10, 11 and 12. The main level of Station S9 is under construction to connect up to the streets or down to the platforms via elevators, Kinhtedothi.vn reported.

The S9 station’s main level is 19 meters below the ground. It is 23,3 meters wide, 186,6 meters long. Its construction is expected to be completed in about five months, and construction of the whole station will be finished in late 2020.

Shaun Atkins, chief engineer of Package CP-03, Hyundai E&C – Ghella Joint Venture, said that the project was interrupted for a few days due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, they are speeding up the pace and making effort to complete the project on time, Shaun Atkins added.

The Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station route is 12.5 kilometers long from Nhon area in the western district of Nam Tu Liem, going through Kim Ma street to the Hanoi Railway Station in the downtown. It will run 8.5 kilometers on elevated tracks through eight stations and the remaining four kilometers underground. The underground track is scheduled to begin operation in 2022.

The total cost of the project has been revised up to EUR1.176 billion. Of the total, EUR178.7 million is funded with ODA provided by the French Development Agency (AFD) and EUR355.1 million is lent by the French government.

It is one of several metro lines planned for the capital city to ease traffic congestion and reduce emissions.

The followings are photos taken at Underground station S9:

Construction progress of Station S9 is being sped up.

Two pipes of the ventilation system.

Preparing to pour concrete to the floor.

Checking and waterproofing the diaphragm wall of the S9 terminal.

Technical supervision in the main level.

Machines work in three shifts a day.

An elevator for transporting workers.

A crane transporting materials to the underground works.