On the morning of November 6, hundreds of people lined up to experience the free Cat Linh – Ha Dong train, the capital’s first elevated urban railway.
At 9:00 am on November 6, the Cat Linh – Ha Dong tram line started commercial operation, after 10 years of construction. Hundreds of people were present at the station, waiting to board the train.
On the same day, the Ministry of Transport handed over the Cat Linh railway project to Hanoi for management.
Each resident is given a train pass. In the first 15 days, passengers will receive free tickets and receive a training guidebook.
The expected ticket price is 8,000 VND for short trips and 15,000 VND for the whole route. In addition, there are daily tickets 30,000 VND, monthly tickets 100,000-200,000 according to the type of guests. People who get free bus rides in Hanoi also get free train rides.
People line up to swipe cards to enter the parking area of Cat Linh station.
Cars are full of seats, many people have to stand. Mr. Vu Hong Truong, General Director of Metro Hanoi, said this morning, each train has about 400 to 500 passengers, which is part of the unit’s expected plan. There is a train every 15 minutes; Train frequency will be adjusted after the first 15 days free of charge.
Accompanied by a friend to Cat Linh station from 7am, Mr. Tran Ngoc Quynh in Hoang Mai district, said: “very excited because it took a long time to see the tram line in operation”. Having traveled many trams in Europe, Mr. Quynh assessed that the train in Hanoi runs smoothly, the items of the waiting room, lobby, and elevator are reasonably arranged and convenient for passengers.
The family of Mr. Ngoc and Ms. Trang are happy when they ride the sky train for the first time. “The whole family has been excited since yesterday. I myself work on roads and bridges, so I want to experience it more and more,” said Mr. Ngoc.
The train passes through the Ring 3 section on the high road Nguyen Trai – Nguyen Xien, people watch the street from the train.
There are 52 bus lines along this railway, 16 bus lines in Cat Linh station alone. In order to help people conveniently connect buses with railways, Hanoi has added and adjusted many parking stops, built 14 more waiting houses, arranged personal parking services at the stations.
Station staff constantly remind train passengers to keep a safe distance when trains enter and exit stations.
As this is the first urban railway complex, Hanoi has set up a special working group to handle urgent situations. Districts along the railway line passing through all have police forces on duty to protect security and safety.
Young people record the electric train, from the balcony of a cafe on Nguyen Trai Street.
The Cat Linh – Ha Dong railway project (line 2A) is 13 km long, with a total initial investment in 2008 of VND 8,769 billion (equivalent to USD 552.8 million). By 2016, the total investment capital increased to 18,000 billion VND (about 868 million USD). The project uses loans from the Chinese government and domestic counterpart funds. Follow vnexpress
