The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to extend a $293m loan to Vietnam for construction of a metro line to ease traffic congestion in its capital Hanoi.

The project involves the construction of a 12.5km metro line, including 3.6km underground and 8.9km of elevated track, from Hanoi station through Cau Giay to Nhon.

The metro rail line is scheduled to be completed in 2015 and is expected to transport more than 150,000 people a day, and half a million a day by 2030.

The project is also part-funded by the French Government and the European Investment Bank, and is an integral part of the first of four priority metro lines planned for the capital’s metropolitan area.