Hanoi Metro
The Hanoi Metro (Vietnamese: Đường sắt đô thị Hà Nội, lit. 'Hanoi urban railway') is a rapid transit system in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. Owned by Vietnam Railways and operated by Hanoi Metro Company (HMC), it is the first operational rapid transit system in Vietnam. The first line (Line 2A - Cat Linh Line) opened to service on 6 November 2021.[5]
Hanoi Metro
Đường sắt đô thị Hà Nội
1 (in operation)
1 (under construction)
12 (in operation)
12 (under construction)
32,000[1]
November 6, 2021
Hanoi Metro Company and Tokyo Metro[4]
13 four-car trainset
10 minutes
13.1 km (in operation)
12 km (under construction)
318 (planned)
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
80 km/h (50 mph)
The system includes elevated and underground sections. Another line (Line 3 - Van Mieu Line) is under construction, and was expected to commence operations at the end of 2022, however, in September 2022, the authorities requested to extend the deadline to 2025,[6] and increase the budget by a further VND1.9 trillion ($80.77m USD).
The system will eventually consist of 8 lines with a total length of 318 kilometres (198 mi), and is initially expected to carry 200,000 passengers per day. Upon opening, daily ridership was at 12,000.[7]
History[edit]
Pre-planning[edit]
As the capital city of Vietnam, Hanoi's population is growing rapidly. As of 2010 (the year when construction started on the first line), Hanoi's population was around 6,910,000. Hoàn Kiếm District and Ba Đình District are the districts with the highest population density.[8] The government expects the population of Hanoi to increase up to 8,000,000 by 2030.[9] The growing population would affect the city's operation and development.[10] To solve this issue, the Vietnamese government and the Hanoi People's Committee proposed to build an urban rail transit system, which was first proposed in the late 1990s.
In 1998, the Vietnamese government revised and agreed the “Hanoi Capital to 2020 Master Plan” which suggested that Hanoi prioritise the building of a rail transit system, with a target to build 5 lines.[11] The "Overall Plan for the Development of Vietnam's Railway Transportation Industry to 2020", released in 2002, and the "2005-2010 Economic and Social Development Plan for 2006-2010", released in 2006, both suggested the same and aimed to finish the metro system by 2010.
Survey and approval[edit]
The start of construction was delayed continually as the government first required consultant companies from China, France and Japan, such as SYSTRA and Japan International Cooperation Agency, to finish feasibility studies which ran from 2004 to 2007. These three companies suggested the Hanoi government build a network consisting of 6 lines. In 2008, the Vietnamese government approved the construction of the suggested lines, which they divided into several phases.[12][13]
Construction and opening[edit]
After receiving approval from the government, the first line of the Hanoi metro, Line 2A, began construction in October 2011.[14] The line was constructed by China Railway Engineering Corporation.[15][16] The bulk of the construction was completed by the fourth quarter of 2018.[17] Operational tests were conducted at the end of 2018 and again in 2019.[18][19] After delays, Line 2A opened to the public on 6 November 2021.[20]
The second line entered construction was Line 3, built by multiple companies, with train systems provided by Alstom.[21] The railway line was built by South Korean firm Daelim Industrial and other contractors.[22] The line was originally planned to complete in 2015, but was delayed to 2027. The elevation section of the project was completed in March 2024.[23]
