As of July 30, 2024, the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB) has made significant progress in excavating tunnels for the Hanoi Pilot Light Metro Line 3, connecting Nhon and Hanoi Railway Station. Since the launch of the tunnel boring machines (TBMs), approximately 640 meters of tunnel have been excavated.

The TBMs, named Than Toc (Flash) and Tao Bao (Reckless), were manufactured by Herrenknecht and boast impressive specifications: each over 100 meters long, weighing about 850 tons, and featuring a diameter of 6.55 meters. The TBM Than Toc began excavation at S9 - Kim Ma Station, operating at a depth of 17.8 meters. Once the first 240 meters were completed, the machines achieved a standard excavation speed of approximately 10 meters per day.

Key Features of Metro Line 3

Hanoi Metro Line 3 is the first underground metro line in Vietnam’s capital. Spanning 12.5 kilometers, it runs from Nhon in the Tay Tuu quarter of Nam Tu Liem District to Hanoi Railway Station.

• Elevated Section: 8.5 kilometers from Nhon to Hanoi City Center (Cầu Giấy), with eight stations and a 500-meter access line.
• Underground Section: 4 kilometers, including 2.6 kilometers of twin tunnels excavated by the TBMs, four underground stations (Kim Ma, Cat Linh, Van Mieu, and Hanoi), an underground garage, an evacuation shaft, and a 300-meter cut-and-cover section.

Construction began in 2010, starting with depot works. The overhead section was officially inaugurated on August 8, 2024.

Project Construction Packages

The project comprises nine construction packages:

1. CP-01: Elevated tracks by Daelim Industrial Co. Ltd. (Korea)
2. CP-02: Elevated stations by Posco Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. (Korea)
3. CP-03: Tunnel and underground stations by Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. (Korea) and Ghella SpA (Italy)
4. CP-04: Depot infrastructure by Vinaconex JSC (Vietnam)
5. CP-05: Depot architectural works by Hancorp Co. Ltd. (Vietnam)
6. CP-06: Rail systems (rolling stock, signaling, power supply) by a joint venture including Alstom Transport SA, Colas Rail SA, and Thales Communication & Security SAS (France)
7. CP-07: Electrical and mechanical systems by Colas Rail SA (France)
8. CP-08: Track works by Colas Rail SA (France)
9. CP-09: Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) systems by a joint venture of IXXI and PARKEON

The project consultant is Systra SA (France).

Financial Overview

The project is co-financed by international and local contributions:

• €250 million from the French Treasury
• €220 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB)
• €110 million from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD)
• €73 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB)
• €130 million from Hanoi People’s Committee as a counterpart fund

The total investment cost was initially estimated at €783 million in 2009 but was revised to €1.176 billion in 2011. Of this, €900 million comes from Official Development Assistance (ODA), with the remaining €276 million provided by Vietnam.

This milestone highlights the steady progress of Hanoi’s most ambitious metro project, aiming to transform the city’s transportation network.

For further click here and vn/20 for tunnelbuilder archive. Visit https://mrb.hanoi.gov.vn, https://www.ghella.com/en/, https://en.hdec.kr/en/main.aspx, https://fecon.com.vn/ and https://www.systra.com/en. 47/24