(Photo/People's Daily Online)
On the morning of Feb. 21, the first car of a train that is part of the Cac Linh-Ha Dong urban light rail project was hoisted onto a bridge in Hanoi, Vietnam, prompting enthusiastic applause from a group of onlookers. Three additional cars were subsequently lifted onto the bridge the following day.
"This is the first time I have ever seen a car lifted into the air by a crane. The workers from both countries did an amazing job!" a senior high school student surnamed Nguyen told the People's Daily.
"As the first light rail project in Vietnam, it has attracted a great deal of attention from the local people. The light rail will significantly ease congestion in the city of Hanoi, and will become a symbol of China-Vietnam friendship," said Tang Hong, an executive of the sixth bureau under China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC), the company responsible for constructing the rail.
With a total investment of $553 million, offered as a loan from the Chinese government, the Cac Linh-Ha Dong urban light rail project utilizes Chinese technologies and equipment. It is designed to cover a total length of 13.04 kilometers, stopping at 12 stations. Locals are looking forward to the line's operation. One resident remarked, "I want to be the first to take the light rail train after it opens!"
The invitation for supporting system bids for the light rail has already been released. Tests of the trains are expected to start in the latter half of this year.
According to plan, eight light rails will be built in Hanoi in the future. The Cac Linh-Ha Dong urban light rail project will provide a useful reference for the construction and operation of these future lines.
In the new year, Chinese workers will dedicate themselves to the ongoing project so that local people will be able to experience Chinese trains and technologies as soon as possible, Tang said.
