Hanoi uses its first metro to ease traffic congestion

Hanoi, with more than five million mopeds, opened its first urban railroad on Saturday as authorities work to reduce rising traffic and pollution in the Vietnamese capital.

Years of delay and construction costs almost doubled, and a train began its 13-kilometer journey east of the Gate Lynn station near the city center to the dense east.

“I decided to try this because I was interested,” Nguyen Thi Thu told AFP in the busy box of a Chinese-made train.

“I’m so glad I was able to take a lap after all the adjournments.”

Passengers quickly arrived to pose for a pose in front of the shiny new train, and the young children on the plane could watch in amazement through the large windows speeding by in the Vietnamese capital.

The metropolitan area, home to nine million people, is known around the world for its dense mob of mopeds that fill city streets and endanger the lives of pedestrians trying to cross.

Police say the number of two-wheelers has risen from two million in 2008 to 5.7 million in 2020.

The number of cars also increased from 185,000 to 700,000 during the same period.

Locals are stuck in traffic jams for hours, and some choose the bus, which is by far the only public transport option available.

According to Hanoi’s Department of Environmental Protection, transportation is the main source of air pollution in the capital.

During the winter months, the air quality index (AQI) often reaches “unhealthy” levels.

Railways will “reduce traffic congestion, control the number of private vehicles, reduce environmental pollution and contribute to shifting travel in city centers,” Wu Hong Son told the Ministry of Transportation on Saturday.

It took ten years to complete the Cat Lin-Ha Dong Line, which was repeatedly halted due to safety concerns and revolving costs, costing nearly $ 900 million a year. Compared to the original budget of $ 550 million.

Nine additional routes are planned to Hanoi by 2030.