Hanoi prepares for bus rapid transit pilot run
THE FIRST Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) pilot route in Hanoi will begin operating next month.
People’s Committee vice |chairman Nguyen Quoc Hung |has urged the Hanoi Transport |and Services Corporation (Transerco) to prepare personnel, facilities and infrastructure for the trial run after December 15 when BRT buses are handed over to the city.
The Department of Transport is also required to complete the plan for traffic systems and collect reasonable opinions from experts, scientists and the community, in order to determine the best way to operate the bus system.
Further, the local Department of Transport is working with Transerco to create favourable conditions for BRT operations, and ensure safe and convenient rides for passengers.The pilot route will depart from Kim Ma station in Ba Dinh district to Yen Nghia station in Ha Dong district.
About 21 bus stops were built on the 14.7km route, with the bus departing every three minutes and each carrying up to 90 passengers.
The trip is expected to take 30 minutes to travel the entire route, as opposed to the current one hour or more.
The cost of the project has been set at US$53.6 million (Bt1.8 billion) and financed through the World Bank loans.
The BRT system has specialised designs, services and infrastructure to improve the quality of the system and help reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
