Following an initial contract won in 2004 to carry out a feasibility study for a pilot tramway line in the Vietnamese capital, in April 2005 SYSTRA was selected by the People's Committee of Hanoi and the French authorities to conduct further investigations into certain aspects of the 2004 study. The aim of this work is to enable the launch of a project which can be implemented by 2010, the date of the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Hanoi city.

On the basis of the route defined in December 2004, linking the western suburbs with the city centre, the study aims to provide a cost comparison of the various options for installation and systems (tramway or light metro) and to provide additional details about the geological feasibility of underground works, the design of transport hubs connecting the various public transport projects which are eventually planned, and to provide an in-depth analysis of the way the project will be financed. This information should enable the Vietnamese and French authorities to specify their level of financial participation in autumn 2005.

The study is financed from FASEP funds at a cost of ?600 K and will last 6 months. The work will be carried out by a multidisciplinary team made up of 10 experts from different departments of SYSTRA (PLT, GCOA, and EST). For the financial part of the study, SYSTRA has teamed up with Dexia Bank, which specializes in organizing investment for transport projects in developing countries. The findings of the study will be presented at the end of September 2005 at a Franco-Vietnamese conference. This should enable the tender for the construction contract to be launched during the course of 2006.