Hanoi’s second metro line tested its first train on Friday to prepare for commercial operations scheduled to start at the end of this year. 

The train to be used on the Nhon – Hanoi Railway Station line had arrived three months ago from France. For an hour, it ran five kilometers.

The train has four cars made of aluminum painted in green, reddish pink and white to represent Khue Van Cac, the Pavilion of the Constellation of Literature, the symbol of Hanoi.

Vietnamese and foreign experts at the trial run. 

For the moment, only foreign conductors are allowed to operate the train.

The train can carry 944–1,124 passengers traveling at average speed of 35 kilometers per hour though it has a top speed of 80 kph.

The train has an automatic smoke and fire detection system.

There are screens to indicate the next station coming up in addition to the public address system. The lighting adjusts automatically when the train enters an underground tunnel. 

Workers make checks of physical specifications. 

The Nhon-Hanoi Station metro line will run 12.5 kilometers from western Nam Tu Liem District through Kim Ma Street to the city railway station in the downtown area. It costs VND33 trillion ($1.42 billion) to build.

Its elevated section is expected to be ready by the end of this year and the underground section a year later.