Passengers preparing to get on board the metro train at Văn Quán Station. — VNA/VNS Photo Tuấn Anh

HÀ NỘI — The Cát Linh-Hà Đông metro line, the first operational metro project in Hà Nội and Việt Nam, served more than 2.65 million passengers in the first quarter of this year, skyrocketing 262 per cent compared to 2022.

Also according to Vũ Hồng Trường, General Director of Hanoi Railway Company Limited (Hanoi Metro), currently there are 10,000 commuters using monthly passes. On overage, the route transports over 32,000 passengers each weekday and around 28,000 riders over a weekend.

The Cát Linh-Hà Đông metro line has received a warm response from the public, with many passengers switching from personal vehicles to public transport, contributing to changing people's travel habits and gradually building a culture of using civilised, safe, and friendly mass transit method.

The line started running in November 2021. It was officially inaugurated on January 13, 2022, also the day it marked the one-millionth passenger.

With a total investment of approximately US$868 million and funded by China’s official development assistance (ODA), the elevated line is more than 13km long and has 12 stations and 13 trains.

Trains run every 10 minutes with a capacity of 960 passengers each. One-way tickets cost from VNĐ8,000-15,000 (US$0.35-0.65) for a trip and VNĐ30,000 for a day pass. A monthly pass is priced at VNĐ200,000, with various discounts for group travellers, people with disabilities, students, and the elderly.

In the first quarter of 2023, passenger transportation activities in Hà Nội continued to grow strongly.

The number of transported passengers reached 89 million, up 10.6 per cent compared to the previous quarter and up 25.1 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Estimated revenues of all transport services reached VNĐ4.6 trillion ($198 million), up 5.1 per cent and up 29.5 per cent, compared to last quarter and the same period last year, respectively. — VNS