HCMC – The Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway, Hanoi City’s first metro line, was inaugurated this morning, January 13, serving the one-millionth passenger after two months of operations.
Nguyen Manh Quyen, vice chairman of Hanoi City, said that the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line met all the safety standards and requirements after two months of operations. Residents in the city are willing to throw their support behind the new and modern mode of public transport, he added.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong said that the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway was expected to ease traffic congestion in the west of Hanoi City, reduce air pollution and boost the city’s socio-economic growth.
The urban railway transports an average 15,000 passengers a day. Due to the Covid pandemic, the number of tourists using the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro service has dropped these days, while the number of students and workers on board trains of the urban railway has risen to 20% from 10% in the initial stage of its operation.
On November 6, 2021, the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway project was handed over to the Hanoi City government and put into operation for the first stage after 10 years of construction.
The long-stalled urban railway is 13 kilometers long and has 12 stations and 13 trains. It starts at the Cat Linh Station in Ba Dinh District and ends at the Yen Nghia Station in Ha Dong District.
Hanoi City approved a plan to develop an urban railway system that has 10 lines and is 417 kilometers long.
Quyen proposed the Ministry of Transport continue offering support with investment and construction so that the city can have a complete metro line system as soon as possible, the local media reported.
