First metro line begins operation

The Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line project, the first urban railway in Viet Nam, was inaugurated and put into operation in the capital city of Ha Noi on Saturday morning.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh, Secretary of Ha Noi Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh and Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The attended the inauguration ceremony and joined the first trip of the metro line.

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the Ha Noi People’s Committee Duong Duc Tuan said that the city will have 10 metro lines with the length of 417.8 kilometer from now to the end of 2030, adding that the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line plays a crucial role in the city’s public transport.

The metro line stated construction in October, 2011. The trial run was completed in December 2020, with more than 70,000 kilometer of tests on thousands of trips, enabling the system to operate commercially.

The line, which runs from Cat Linh in Ba Dinh District to Ha Dong District, is more than 13 kilometers long and has 12 stations and 13 trains. Each train has designed speed of 80 kilometer per hour and has capacity of carrying 960 passengers.

It takes around 23.63 minutes to travel from Cat Linh to Ha Dong and vice versa.

During the first fifteen days of offering free travel for all passengers, the metro line will run from 5.30 am to 20.00 pm. When becoming commercial operation, it will operate from 5.30 am to 22.30 pm.

The Ha Noi People’s Committee has announced the price of the tickets for the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro, with the lowest one being VND8,000 (US$0.35) for a trip and VND30,000 (US$1.3)for a day pass.

A monthly pass for a common passenger is priced at VND200,000 (US$8.8).