Connecting Hanoi's second metro line with 36 bus routes

The Hanoi Public Transport Management Center has restructured 36 bus routes along the Nhon-Hanoi station and the Cat Linh - Ha Dong metro lines to improve access to the metro line.

"After Hanoi restructured the bus network, the number of passengers using the transit bus service has increased. Especially from Cau Giay to Nhon, the ridership has gone up 2-3 times," Thai Ho Phuong, the center's director, told The Hanoi Times. 

A train on the Nhon-Hanoi station metro line during a trial run in May 2024. Photos: Pham Cong/The Hanoi Times

The transit bus network will connect the Cat Linh - Ha Dong metro line and the Nhon - Hanoi Railway Station metro line to make it convenient for passengers to transfer between the two. The two metro services are connected by nine bus lines, including 29, 49, 57, 05, 27, 38, 90, 105, and 09B.

According to the technical design of the Nhon - Hanoi Station elevated line, each train consists of 4 carriages with a capacity of 236 passengers each.

"The Hanoi Railway Limited Company has submitted a plan to the city government to operate the 8.5 km elevated section of the Nhon-Ha Noi station metro line from Nhon to Cau Giay. The train will operate with a peak hour frequency of 6 minutes (or 10 trips/hour in each direction). Thus, the maximum transport capacity of the line will reach 9,440 passengers/hour," Phuong said.

 Free rides for the first 15 days, starting August 8 

The elevated section of the Nhon-Hanoi  Station metro line will open to the public on August 8, one day ahead of schedule. It will be the second operational metro line in Vietnam, and free rides will be offered for the first 15 days, according to the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB).

Trains will depart at 8 a.m. on August 8, and from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on the following days, with trains departing every 10 minutes.

Nguyen Cao Minh, Director of the MRB, told The Hanoi Times that trial runs for the elevated section from Nhon to Cau Giay have been completed, allowing it to begin commercial operation. "The underground section from S9 to S12 stations is currently 43.5% complete and is scheduled to be concluded by December 2027," Minh added.

Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh (first, right) on a train ride from Nhon Station to Cau Giay Station during his inspection on August 6.

On August 6, Tran Sy Thanh, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, experienced a train ride from Nhon Station to Cau Giay Station while inspecting the project.

The Nhon-Hanoi Station metro line is a "once-in-a-millennium" opportunity to acquire the technology and expertise needed for future large-scale transportation projects, he said.

He asked local authorities to work with the traffic police to ensure traffic order and security for the launch of the metro. 

Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh (in white shirt) talks to engineers during his inspection on August 6.

Vu Hong Truong, General Director of Hanoi Metro and manager of the Nhon-Hanoi Station metro line said that the company has received 10 trains for the line and will initially operate six.

"The staff will be divided between the Nhon-Hanoi Station line and the Cat Linh-Ha Dong line. The inauguration of the line is an important event that marks a new milestone in the development of public transport. It will contribute to the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the capital's liberation," Truong told The Hanoi Times.

He said after two weeks of free rides, Hanoi Metro will officially start selling tickets. The fare for the entire line from Nhon to Cau Giay is expected to be US$0.5, and the daily pass will be US$1. This fare is lower than the Cat Linh-Ha Dong line due to the shorter distance. Ticket prices may change after the project completes the remaining four kilometers of underground track.

The Nhon-Hanoi Station metro line stretches 12.5 km from Nhon in Nam Tu Liem District to Ha Noi Railway Station in Dong Da District, with eight elevated and four underground stations. The elevated section from Nhon to Cau Giay is 8.5 km long, while the underground section from Cau Giay to Hanoi Railway Station runs 4.0 km.

Work on the project, estimated to cost more than VND34.8 trillion (US$1.37 billion) partly from French ODA, began in 2009 with an initial completion target of 2015. After several delays, the elevated section will open tomorrow and the entire line is expected to be completed by 2027.

The Cat Linh-Ha Dong line became Vietnam's first metro line when it was commissioned in November 2021.   

Trial operation of trains on the 8.5 km elevated section from Nhon to Cau Giay.