The pilot 12.5km-long metro line linking Nhon in the suburban district of Tu Liem and Hanoi railway station in the inner district of Hoan Kiem, includes a 8.5 km elevated section and 4km underground section from Thu Le to Hanoi station.

The Nhon-Hanoi line is an important transport project not only for Hanoi, but also for the whole country, contributing to reducing traffic congestion and to sustainable development, Marie-Cecile Tardieu-Smith, economic counsellor of the French Embassy in Hanoi, told reporters in Hanoi on July 7.

Success of the pilot line will facilitate implementation of other metro lines in Hanoi, she said.

The US$1 billion project has received financial support from major donors such as the French Economic, Finance and Industry Ministry, the French Development Agency, the Asian Development Bank and the European Investment Bank.

Alain Bechereau, from French consultancy Systra, said his company required soil testing before construction of the underground tunnels to define technical designs for underground line stations and tunnels of the metro line, select appropriate machines for the construction and choose international bidders.

Construction work on depots is scheduled for November this year, while work on the elevated section is to begin in February, 2012 and the underground section in November 2012, according to the consultant.

The project started last September, with work on the train depot in the presence of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on the occasion of the millennium anniversary of the capital city.

The soil testing was witnessed by Nguyen Van Khoi, Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee and Marie-Cecile Tardieu-Smith, the French Embassy’s economic counsellor.

There will be 12 stations along the line which is designed for a maximum speed of 80 km per hour and capable of carrying over 900 passengers per train. It will take passengers about 20 minutes to travel the whole length of the line.