In an attempt to address safety concerns about wavy sections of Hanoi’s new metro line, the Ministry of Transport (MoT) has released a statement saying that the project observes technical standards.
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After girders were been placed along the Chinese-funded US$868.04 million Cat Linh – Ha Dong urban railway, wavy sections became visible and raised alarm among local residents and experts.
According to the MoT, the metro line has been examined for all criteria and “been found to meet the technical standards to ensure safety once it becomes operational,” according to Vietnam News.
“The project is built following China's Code for Design of Metro GB50157, in which a slope is allowed from 0 to 30 per mille of the total stretch. In the case of Cat Linh-Ha Dong Urban Railway, the slope for arrival and departure at each station has been measured maximally at 23 per mille, the allowed range,” added the paper.
Le Van Duong, deputy director of the project management unit, previously told the press that the wavy segments are intentional, designed to “optimize the operation of the trains in terms of efficacy and energy consumption.”
“Trains have to slow down when entering the terminal, so the railroad must be sloped to reduce over-braking and energy consumption,” said Duong. “On the other hand, when the trains start their journey, the downslope railroads will enable them to accelerate without consuming much energy,” he added.
The China Railway Sixth Group, a subsidiary of construction conglomerate China Railway Group, is the EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) contractor for the metro that has been under construction since late 2011. It is scheduled to open in 2016.
