On 6 November 2021, Vietnam Hanoi Rail Transit Line 2A (Cat Linh-Ha Dong Line) started revenue service. Line 2A adopts TCT I-CBTC signalling system that conforms to China standards and supports interline operations. The commercial operation of Line 2A is of great significance to improve the efficiency of Hanoi’s urban traffic network, relieve traffic pressure, drive the tourism industry and promote regional economic development.

Line 2A is the first metro line of Vietnam in commercial operation. The line starts at Cat Linh in Dong Da District, passes through Thuong Dinh in the southwest and ends at Yen Nghia in Ha Dong District, with a total length of 13.1km and a design speed of 80km/h. A total of 12 elevated stations are decorated with rich colour and Vietnam cultural elements. All stations are designed with upslope for arrival and downslope for departure, so as to minimise the land occupation, make full use of urban space and save energy consumption.

Technological interconnection — intermediary for the construction of Sino-Vietnam friendship railway

TCT provides Line 2A with I-CBTC signalling system (Interoperable Communication Based Train Control).  The system safety integrity level meets the international highest-level requirements (SIL4). As the ‘brain’ of train operation control, the I-CBTC signalling system can not only realise safety, convenience, economy and energy saving of line network-level urban rail transit, but also has the advantages of short departure interval, high safety and reliability, and compatibility with different signalling systems.

While maximising equipment utilisation, realising resource sharing, improving operation capacity and improving passenger efficiency, the construction and operation costs are greatly reduced. This technology has been widely used and fully verified in the construction of urban rail transit in China.

As the builder of Line 2A, the witness of the friendship between Vietnam and China, TCT fully considers the long-term development strategy of urban rail transit in Hanoi, combines with successful experiences from China and provides customised solution design and product development for I-CBTC products used in Line 2A in accordance with the signalling system interoperation standard.

TCT is committed to providing the Vietnamese people with world-leading technologies and products and delivering high-quality projects with high safety, high quality and high level in line with international standards, so as to accelerate the integration of Vietnamese rail transit technologies with international standards.

Cultural communication – delivering high-quality projects for the Vietnamese people

With advanced technologies, reliable products, precise management and perfect service, TCT is devoted to delivering high-quality projects and creating a better life with convenient traffic for citizens in Hanoi.

TCT has always been based on the actual needs of customers. Since the commencement of Line 2A, TCT has fully studied and complied with Vietnamese laws, regulations and standards, and also deeply acquired and integrated Vietnamese culture and customs, to deliver multilingual software interactive interfaces and hardware logos according to the needs and habits of Vietnamese owners, and provide and hand over more than 120 copies of management plans, technical schemes, installation and commissioning reports, software interfaces, operation and maintenance manuals, training materials, etc. with more than four million words in both Vietnamese and English to construction and operation companies.

In order to further obtain the owner’s needs for personalised and accurate services, TCT has established a project department in Hanoi and recruited Vietnamese employees to participate in the whole process of scheme design, equipment installation, system commissioning, on-site test, management organisation and safety guarantee for Line 2A. The natives are also recruited for equipment installation, use and maintenance training, to reduce the deviation caused by multilingual translation and help Vietnamese employees intuitively understand and quickly master the key points of use and maintenance of the signalling system, which has won unanimous praise from the Vietnamese employer and the general contractor.

After the line 2A project is put into operation, TCT will continue to pay attention to the overall performance of the signalling system during the operation period of the project, continue to implement the principle of ‘customer-centred’, to fully ensure traffic safety, reduce customer’s operation costs, save travel time, and improve the travel experience. TCT will also continue to create more value for customers through innovation, enhance the core competitiveness of signalling systems in urban rail transit and create a better life with convenient traffic for Vietnamese people.