The Cat Linh – Ha Dong Urban Railway will officially be handed over and commence operation at 7 AM tomorrow (November 6).
The Cat Linh – Ha Dong railway is undergoing continuous testing before being handed over to Hanoi city on November 6. Currently, the Cat Linh – Ha Dong line has been approved by the State Inspection Council.
The Cat Linh – Ha Dong railway will offer 15 days of free rides. In the first 7 days, 4 trains will operate with a 15-minute interval; in the next 8 days, 6 trains will operate with a 10-minute interval. After that, during the first 6 months of operation, it is expected to run 6-9 trains, with corresponding intervals of 6 minutes to 10 minutes per trip.
During testing, a rare sight of two trains running parallel appeared. According to Mr. Vu Hong Truong, Director of Hanoi Railway One Member Limited Liability Company, during the initial phase of operation, the capacity of the railway line is equivalent to 12 large bus routes; if the speed is increased, it can match 24 bus routes.
The Cat Linh – Ha Dong train has 4 carriages, each capable of carrying 240 people. Once operational, the Cat Linh – Ha Dong railway is expected to increase the usage rate of public transport.
It is expected that the ticket price for the Cat Linh – Ha Dong train will be calculated based on the distance traveled by passengers, with a maximum of 15,000 VND per trip for the entire line and a minimum of 8,000 VND for the shortest distance. The daily ticket price is 30,000 VND per person (with no limit on the number of trips within the day).
Currently, Hanoi has 52 bus routes connecting to the Cat Linh – Ha Dong railway. Additionally, Hanoi has built 14 waiting shelters and arranged personal vehicle parking services at the stations.
It is estimated that the train will take 23 minutes to travel from Cat Linh to Ha Dong if it stops at all stations. The stopping time at each station is 45 seconds. If it does not stop, the travel time is only 13 minutes.
The passenger carriage is approximately 2.8 meters wide, arranged with 6 long seats, and has 2 curved columns towards the middle of the carriage along the aisle to help passengers hold on securely.
The interior of the Cat Linh – Ha Dong train features a light gray color scheme, accented with green highlights. At the front of each carriage near the entrance, there are yellow seats prioritized for the disabled and pregnant women.
In the first year of operation, the Cat Linh – Ha Dong railway will employ 680 people, including over 200 trained in China.
The elevator and stair system has been cleaned thoroughly before the operation date.
The ticket counters are ready to go into operation.
Passengers can purchase tickets through the automatic ticket vending system to get their boarding cards.
The ticket top-up machine.
The management team has also arranged a medical isolation room in case of suspected Covid-19 cases. The staff serving the Cat Linh – Ha Dong urban railway have all received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Elevators for disabled individuals at the stations.
The seating system on the Cat Linh – Ha Dong train. The trains are quite modern and clean. Whenever arriving at a station, the train driver will stand at the door to monitor safety procedures.
There are directional signs and destination information in Vietnamese and English on the train and at the stations; announcements when the train arrives at stations are also made in both languages.
