A train leaves the La Thành depot during the trial run of Cát Linh-Hà Đông in late December last year. — VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hùng

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội’s first metro project, the long-delayed Cát Linh-Hà Đông urban railway project, is scheduled to be completed on March 31, said Nguyễn Khánh Tùng, Vice Director of the project’s Management Board.

At a meeting in Hà Nội on Thursday, he explained that the project had failed to be finished on schedule due to various difficulties, including the impact from COVID-19 which resulted in Chinese technicians and equipment unable to get into Việt Nam.

The trial run of the project completed in December 2020 with more than 70,000km of operations and thousands of train trips tested, enabling the system to operate commercially, said Minister of Transport Nguyễn Văn Thể at the meeting.

He added that Hà Nội was ready to receive and run the project, asking the Management Board to give priority to completing it.

Running from Cát Linh in the inner district of Ba Đình to the outlying district of Hà Đông, the railway, funded with Chinese ODA, has a total investment capital of approximately US$886 million after several delays and cost overruns.

The system is designed to have a main elevated line of more than 13km, 12 stations, and 13 trains. Each train, whose designed speed reaches 80 km per hour, has four carriages capable of carrying more than 900 passengers.

A 20-day whole-system test run has ended on December 31, 2020.

5,700 trips have been successfully conducted, but the full assessment including the verdict from an independent French consultant venture will not be available until January 15-20. — VNS

The first metro line in Hanoi should be operational at the end of March.