The national appraisal council is set to approve a pre-feasibility study for Hanoi’s fifth metro route with an expected investment of VND65.4 trillion ($2.68 billion).
A decision to this effect was signed by Nguyen Chi Dung, head of the council and also Minister of Planning and Investment, the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB) announced Tuesday.
The move is an important step for the project of national importance, prior to approvals by the National Assembly and the Prime Minister.
The investment will be drawn from the municipal budget of Hanoi as part of the city’s medium-term (2021-2025) plan with possible adjustments for the 2026-2030 period.
The metro will follow the standard double track gauge of 1,435 millimeters as it connects the major stations of Van Cao, Ngoc Khanh, Lang, and Hoa Lac. With a total length of 38.43 kilometers, the route run 6.5 kilometers underground, two kilometres on elevated sections and 29.93 kilometers at ground-level.
The route, passing through the capital city’s inner districts of Ba Dinh, Dong Da, Cau Giay, Nam Tu Liem and outer districts of Hoai Duc, Quoc Oai and Thach That, will connect crowded residential areas with the satellite residential area of Hoa Lac, in a bid to reduce population density in overcrowded districts. It will also help the relocation of government agencies, industrial facilities, healthcare and education establishments from central to outer districts, the MRB said.
The Metro No.5 will also connect with the Metro No. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 routes to form a network of connectivity between inner and outer areas of the capital city, aiding the growth of outer areas, the board added.
Vietnam has invested VND66.01 trillion ($2.76 billion) in the metro systems of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in the past decade, but the capital city’s Cat Linh-Ha Dong route is the only one that has begun operations.
In a draft report on railway investments funded by state budget, the Ministry of Transport noted that many metro projects in Hanoi and HCMC were progressing very slowly and needed more capital.
Hanoi’s first metro line, the Cat Linh-Ha Dong route, officially began operations on January 13, 2022 after over a decade of construction. With a total investment of approximately $868 million funded with Chinese ODA, the route has an elevated section more than 13 km long as it operates 13 trains through 12 stations.