Minister Tran Hong Minh inspects the construction site at the S11 – Van Mieu underground station – Photo: Construction Newspaper
Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh has just inspected the construction site of the underground section of the Urban Railway Line 3, Nhon – Hanoi Station section.
Nhon – Hanoi Station underground section achieves over 51% progress
Reporting to the Minister, Mr. Nguyen Cao Minh, Head of the Hanoi Urban Railway Management Board, said: The elevated section, including the Depot and the Nhon – Cau Giay section, was completed and put into commercial operation in August 2024. After more than a year of operation, the system has served the people safely and with quality.
However, the underground section, which was previously delayed due to land clearance issues, is still under construction. Up to now, the overall progress of the underground section has reached 51.01%. In particular, Package CP03 (construction of tunnels and underground stations) has achieved 64.38%; equipment packages CP06, CP07, CP08, and CP09 are currently being designed, waiting for land handover from CP03.
Package CP03 is 4km long and includes 4 underground stations. At the present time, all 4 stations have been constructed to the base slab using the Top-Down method. The tunnel sections connecting the stations are excavated using 2 Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) employing the earth pressure balance technology.
TBM No. 1 started on July 31, 2024, and has excavated 2,040 out of 2,572 meters, currently working on the section from S11 – Quoc Tu Giam Station, expected to be completed at S12 Station in late October 2025. TBM No. 2 started on February 3, 2025, and has excavated 1,158 out of 2,580 meters, expected to be completed at S12 Station in February 2026.
After the tunnel boring and TBM dismantling are completed, the contractor will hand over the site for equipment installation and testing. Despite the complex geology of Hanoi, which has caused several technical interruptions, the construction has ensured quality, safety, and strict compliance with project standards.
The two TBMs for this project were specially designed by Herrenknecht (Germany), with a length of over 100 meters and a weight of about 850 tons, operated by more than 150 engineers and workers. The machines work in a closed cycle, with a maximum speed of 60mm/minute. During excavation, the machines spray FOAM in front of the cutting head to soften the soil, prevent clogging, and maintain stable pressure. At the tail of the machine, a grease spray system protects the brushes, prevents reverse water infiltration, and simultaneously pumps grout to fill the gap between the tunnel lining and the soil, reducing subsidence. Immediately after excavation, a robot installs the tunnel lining segments behind, with each ring consisting of 6 pieces, completed within 30 – 35 minutes. The cycle of excavation and tunnel lining installation proceeds continuously.
More than 3,000 meters of tunnels have been completed by the two TBMs
Accelerating progress and avoiding further delays in project construction
After personally inspecting the tunnels and stations and reviewing the construction technology applied, Minister Tran Hong Minh discussed with the Project Management Board, contractors, foreign experts, engineers, and workers about solutions to accelerate the progress.
The Minister emphasized that the project has already been delayed, and further delays will result in cost overruns and reduced investment efficiency. “Even a one-month, one-week, or one-day acceleration in construction will allow people to benefit from modern and convenient public transport services earlier. Therefore, there must be no delay in progress, and special attention must be paid to construction,” the Minister said.
The head of the Ministry of Construction also reminded the investor and contractor to completely overcome the mud eruption incident that occurred recently, minimizing the impact on nearby houses. Given the complex geology and narrow space in Hanoi, the Minister requested the contractor to make scientific calculations to ensure safety and environmental hygiene.
“As Vietnam lacks experience in implementing metro projects, we have to hire international consultants and contractors. Therefore, technology transfer and training to improve the quality of domestic human resources are crucial. Consulting, design, and construction units should strengthen coordination, show greater effort and determination, and mobilize maximum human resources and equipment with the spirit of ‘overcoming the sun, winning against the rain,’ and ‘3 shifts, 4 teams’ to accelerate progress. In addition, the Ministry of Construction, relevant agencies, and Hanoi city will continue to accompany and remove obstacles to promote the project,” the Minister emphasized.
The Nhon – Hanoi Station urban railway line has a total length of 12.5km, including 8.5km of elevated section and 4.0km of underground section.
The route starts from Nhon on National Highway 32, passing through Cau Dien, Mai Dich, Ring Road 3 intersection, Cau Giay (Ring Road 2 intersection), Kim Ma, Cat Linh, Quoc Tu Giam, and ends at Hanoi Station (Tran Hung Dao Street, in front of Hanoi Station).
The line is designed with double-track standard gauge of 1,435mm, UIC 60 European standard rails/sleepers. The station system includes 8 elevated stations (S1 – S8) and 4 underground stations (S9 – S12). The train type is B (European standard), medium size, 2.7m wide, 78.3m long (4 carriages). The Depot is located in Tay Tuu Ward with an area of 15.05 hectares.
The total investment of the project is VND 34,826.05 billion. Of which, VND 10,004.01 billion is from the city budget, and VND 24,782.04 billion is ODA loans from the Government of France (RPE), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Implementation period: 2009-2027. The elevated section was put into operation in August 2024, and the entire line is expected to be operational by the end of 2027.
The project consists of 10 main packages: 1 package for Common Consultant (Systra S.A, France); 5 construction packages (Package 1 for elevated section; Package 2 for elevated stations; Package 3 for tunnels and underground stations; Package 4 for Depot technical infrastructure works; Package 5 for Depot architectural works); and 4 equipment packages (Package 6: Procurement of locomotives, carriages, and electromechanical systems; Package 7 – Environmental control system, elevators and escalators, fire protection and drainage; Package 8 – Track system; and Package 9 – Ticketing system).
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