HÀ NỘI — The Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB) said the model of an underground station (Terminal C9) for the urban railway project No 2 will be displayed to allow people to give feedback.

The exhibition, which opens on Friday, will run at Hồ Gươm cultural information centre, located at No 2 Lê Thái Tổ Street in Hoàn Kiếm District.

The MRB said the public feedback would be taken into consideration and the design revised, if necessary, before submitting to the competent agency for approval.

Comments will be recorded on the spot or through other methods such as via email or online survey.

In accordance with the approved plan, Hà Nội’s urban rail route No 2 spans 11.5km long, including an 8.5km section underground running beneath the Old Quarter.

It runs through five districts: Bắc Từ Liêm, Tây Hồ, Cầu Giấy, Ba Đình and Hoàn Kiếm, with three aboveground terminals and seven underground ones.

The underground Terminal C9 is designed with four entrances and exits.

The first is located on the premise of the Hanoi Power Corporation, and the second on the front of the Northern Power Corporation. The third entrance is situated next to Hoàn Kiếm Lake and the last is behind the monument honouring Vietnamese soldiers who were killed in the first French Indochina War.

Representatives from MRB said the urban rail route No 2 has been calculated to connect with lines 1 and 3 very well, the Voice of Vietnam reported.

Specifically, Terminal C8 of rail route No 2 at Hàng Đậu Street will receive and act as a transit point for passengers with rail route No 1, Ngọc Hồi-Như Quỳnh. Terminal C10 on Hàng Bài Street area will connect to rail route No 3 Nhổn-Hoàng Mai.

As the one in the middle, terminal C9 will connect to all three urban rail routes. Therefore, terminal C9 must be located on Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street to ensure the distance between the terminal and the other two terminals is within 1km, in order for people to easily access all three routes.

Late last year, the design of the Terminal C9 was discussed at the meeting between Hà Nội People’s Committee and scientists, historians and architects.

Local experts and architects have expressed concern over the design, saying the construction of the station will affect the architectural beauty as well as the open space of the lake.

The project has total investment capital of VNĐ34.68 trillion (US$1.5 billion), sourced from Japan’s Official Development Assistance and matching funds from the Vietnamese government. — VNS