The Nhổn-Hà Nội Station metro line. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The long-delayed Nhổn-Hà Nội Station metro line project has received a safety certificate from an international consultant, giving it the paperwork needed on the way to be operational.

Nguyễn Bá Sơn, Deputy Head of the Hà Nội Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB), told local media that on Thursday, the second metro line in Hà Nội was issued the certification, meaning it can go ahead with the next procedures and the trains could start running soon.

The certification was granted by the Apave - Bureau Veritas - Certifer (known as ABC Consultant) from France.

Sơn said that this was an important legal document of the project according to Vietnamese laws and international practices.

The project typically needs Circular 15 of Ministry of Transport, before the urban railway is opened for public use, in addition to the contractor's and investor’s consultation documents and the project must be evaluated and certified for safety by an international consultant.

"With this certification, an urban railway project is eligible to operate,” said Sơn.

He added that currently a number of urban railway projects in Việt Nam, including completed ones, have been evaluated and accepted by the ABC Consultant, which operates independently.

In fact, some projects have undergone an entire year for independent consultants to work, evaluate and request adjustment for some technical issues.

With the Nhổn-Hà Nội Station metro line project, the ABC Consultant worked and evaluated the system's safety in a few months to ensure it met technical standards.

According to the original plan, the ABC Consultant would have completed the system safety assessment by the end of April, but it required more detailed work, so it took until May 31 to complete.

The consultant extended the evaluation time by one month, leading to a later-than-planned consensus meeting and cross-assessment between consultants to issue conclusions.

Specifically, it was not until Thursday that the investor received the safety certificate for the elevated section project sent by the ABC Consultant.

"This is the reason why the project could not operate its elevated section before the end of last month as expected," said Sơn.

Official operation

After receiving safety certification, the investor will do the next stage, ready to open the elevated section for public use.

The investor will submit the entire system safety assessment dossier of the project, including the certification from the ABC Consultant, to the Việt Nam Railway Authority for review and approval.

After that the State Inspection Council will be invited to evaluate the project and approve technical documents.

Sơn said that the steps may take a few weeks, or even longer, depending on working schedule of the agencies to which the investor submitted the application.

Train safety has been tested under 57 different scenarios.

“Along with that, the investor has provided professional guidance and training for 353 employees, ready to receive and operate the trains in the elevated section,” said Sơn.

The Nhổn-Hà Nội Station metro line is 12.5km long, of which the Nhổn-Cầu Giấy elevated section is 8.5km long and the Cầu Giấy-Hà Nội Station underground section is 4km long.

The project was started in 2010. After several missed deadlines, the elevated section is scheduled to open for use this year. — VNS