Hanoi (VNA) - The Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line project in Hanoi was officially inaugurated and put into commercial operation in the morning of November 6 afte🤪ꩲr 10 years of construction.

The line, which runs from Cat Linh in Ba Dinh district to Ha Dong district, is the first urban railway put into operation in the country. Speaking at the handover ceremony of the line, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong said that the Government and Hanoi authorities are paying attention to investing in transport infrastructure and expanding investment in public passenger transport so as to reduce traffic congestion. Hanoi plans to build 10 urban railway lines, of which the Cat Linh-Ha Dong is the first pilot project to be built. In order to maximise the effectiveness of the project, it is necessary to have a concerted connection among other means of transport soon in order to complete the metro line network as approved in the development planning, Deputy Minister Dong said. “The Ministry of Transport requests that the Metropolitan Railway Management Board direct the EPC General Contractor (China) to closely coordinate with the Hanoi Railway One Member Limited Company (Metro Hanoi) in managing, operating, and maintaining the system," added Dong. Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Duong Duc Tuan said that according to the Hanoi urban railway network planning, the 10 metro lines in the city will have a total length of 417.8km by 2030. At the current pace of progress, it takes 8-10 years to build a metro line. The mobilisation of ODA capital needs a breakthrough to help speed up the construction and thus better meet the people’s travel demands. “The Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line project plays an important role in public transport and is the first step of urban railway planning. The city of Hanoi has directed relevant departments and localities to coordinate with the investor in conducting site clearance of the project. The project has been completed and accepted. Sufficient human resources and management capacity have been prepared, and it has been handed over for operation and use,” emphasised Tuan. Tuan voiced appreciation for the efforts of the Metropolitan Railway Management Board, the EPC General Contractor, departments and localities where the metro line goes through, and the workers who put the project into operation. He said that through this project, the city has also learned many lessons for implementing future projects. He requested Metro Hanoi to run trains safely and accurately, maintain vehicles and technical infrastructure, and operate the station efficiently./.