Strive to complete the tunnel excavation by February 2026
The Nhon - Hanoi Railway Station urban railway line has a main length of 12.5km, including 8.5km at sea and 4km underground. The route starts from Nhon along National Highway 32 - Cau Dien - Mai Dich - Ring Road 3 - Cau Giay intersection (Ring Road 2 intersection) - Kim Ma - Cat Linh - Quoc Tu Giam, ending at Hanoi station (Tran Hung Dao street, in front of Hanoi station).
Currently, the elevated section (Depot and Nhon - Cau Giay route) has been completed and put into commercial operation since August 2024. After more than a year of exploitation, the system is operating safely and stably, but the underground section is still under construction due to previous land clearance problems.
According to Mr. Nguyen Cao Minh - Head of Hanoi Urban Railway Management Board, the overall progress of the underground section is currently at 51.01%. Of which, CP03 package (construction of tunnels and underground stations) reached 64.38%; CP06, CP07, CP08, CP09 equipment packages waiting for site handover from CP03.
According to Mr. Minh, CP03 package is 4km long with 4 underground stations. Up to now, all 4 stations have been constructed to the bottom using Top-Down technology. The sections of the tunnel connecting the station are dug with 2 TBM drilling machines applying soil pressure balance technology. TBM No. 1 started from July 31, 2024, has dug 2,040/2,572m, is under construction from S11 - Quoc Tu Giam station, expected to be completed at S12 station by the end of October 2025. TBM No. 2 started from February 3, 2025, has dug 1,158/2,580m, expected to be completed at S12 station in February 2026.
"After drilling the tunnel and dismantling the TBM, the contractor will hand over the site for installation and testing the equipment. The management board, Systra consultants and contractors are negotiating and agreeing on the integration progress, Mr. Minh informed.
Focus on removing difficulties, bringing the project to the finish line on schedule
A representative of the Hanoi Urban Railway Management Board said that although the geology of the capital is complicated and the technical processor has had to stop many times, the construction process still ensures quality, safety and strict compliance with standards.
The contractor's representative also said that the two TBMs of the project were specifically designed by Herrenknecht (Germany), over 100m long, weighing about 850 tons, operated by more than 150 engineers and workers. The excavator follows a closed cycle, with a maximum speed of 60 mm/minute. During the excavation process, the FOAM spraying machine at the front end of the cutting to soften the soil, prevent binning, and stabilize pressure; the fat spraying system protects the brush to sweep, prevent reverse seepage, and at the same time pumps mortar to fill the gap between the soil shell and soil, limiting subsidence. Immediately after that, the robot installed a 6-piece tunnel shell, completed in 30 - 35 minutes.
Regarding the project progress, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh emphasized: "The project has been prolonged, if it continues to be delayed, capital will increase, reducing investment efficiency. Just 1 month, 1 week or 1 day faster, people will soon benefit from modern public transport services. Therefore, the progress cannot be delayed, the construction needs special attention".
With complex geological characteristics and narrow site, the construction unit must calculate scientifically, ensure safety and environmental sanitation. Therefore, it is necessary to transfer technology and train to improve the quality of domestic human resources. The Ministry of Construction said it will closely coordinate with Hanoi City to remove difficulties, mobilize maximum human resources and machinery, work in the spirit of "overcoming the sun, overcoming the rain", "3 shifts, 4 teams" to speed up progress.
The line is built with a 1,435mm double track rail, UIC 60 rail/rail with European standards. The system has 8 elevated stations (S1 - S8) and 4 underground stations (S9 - S12). The group of type B ships (European standard), 2.7m wide, 78.3m long (4 cars). The 15.05ha depot is located in Tay Tuu ward.
The total investment of the project is VND34,826.05 billion, of which the Hanoi budget spends VND10,004.01 billion; ODA loan capital is VND 24,782.04 billion from the French Government (RPE), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The implementation period is from 2009 - 2027, the elevated section has been put into operation since August 8, 2024; the entire route is expected to be operated by the end of 2027.
