The above-ground section of Hanoi’s Metro Line 3 (Nhon-Hanoi Train Station) is essentially finished, though some site clearance issues might drag out the completion date.

Metro Line 3 is slated to be Hanoi’s second functional urban railway after Line 2A (Cat Linh-Ha Dong). Line 3 will feature 12 stations, four of which will be underground. According to current plans, the city will operate the above-ground stretch first once it is completed.

Zing reports that as of May 2020, the elevated stations are all done, with the exception of the last construction item: stairs and elevators connecting the platform with the pavement. These structures are proving to be more troublesome for contractors than anticipated.

According to Lee Hwan-se, a representative of Posco E & C, the contractor in charge of building the stations, Chua Ha Station (S7) remains stairless as 16 shops and private residences are still infringing on the site of the future stairs and elevators. Similarly, Cau Dien Station (S4) is blocked by 19 private houses and some utility poles, while Le Duc Tho Station (S5) overlaps with the entrance of the Army Theater.

“At the moment, the elevated stations of the Nhon-Hanoi Train Station Metro Line are 80% finished, and the most challenging part of our job is the lack of construction space,” Hwan-se shared with Zing.

Hanoi authorities designated April 2021 to be the final deadline for commercial use of the line, and it might take as many as three months to build the stairs, elevators and lift systems, according to the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MBR).

The board shared that, if the site clearance doesn’t happen in time, they might have to change the stair design to be closer to the station and increase the steepness, which can inconvenience passengers in the future.

[Photo via Metro Line]