First train of Hanoi’s second metro line undergoes test run in France
The train is expected to arrive in Hanoi in September, instead of July as planned due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The first train of Hanoi’s second metro line, Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station, is conducting a trial run in France before being sent to Vietnam by the end of 2020, VnExpress quoted a leader of the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MBR) as saying on June 29.
The leader said that the first train has been completed, and calibrated with all the interior hardware installed for the test run in the factory campus in Valenciennes, France.
| A train of the Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station metro line seen in France. Photo: MRB |
"The train is expected to arrive in Hanoi in September, instead of July as planned due to Covid-19 pandemic," said the MRB representative.
This is the first of four trains being produced for the line out of a total of ten. The second is now ready for test run and the third has just been completed before arriving in Vietnam in 2021.
The fourth train was produced a month ago, behind schedule due to shortage of equipment.
Work to build the fourth began on May 11 after also being delayed as French factories closed from March 18 to early May. The factories have reopened but have difficulty sourcing parts as supply chains remain disrupted, the MRB said.
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, with a total length of 78.27 meters.
The Nhon-Hanoi Railway Station metro line, the second route 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.
Construction was 62% complete as of earlier this month. The elevated tracks have been laid and the elevated sections are 80% complete.
The work was supposed to be finished in September 2017, but delays pushed back the deadline several times.
Hanoi’s first metro line, Cat Linh-Ha Dong, is now in the final stage of safety evaluation with a 20-day test run.
