Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB) has confirmed that Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) No. 1 has completed tunnelling between Stations S9 and S12 on the Nhon–Hanoi Station metro line. The breakthrough at Station S12 marks the completion of tunnelling for the first four underground stations under Package CP03, executed by the Hyundai–Ghella joint venture.
TBM No. 1, named Than Toc, began excavation from Station S9 (Kim Ma) in July 2024 and passed through Stations S10 (Cat Linh) and S11 (Van Mieu) before reaching Station S12 (Hanoi Station). The machine installed 1,720 concrete ring segments along the nearly 4-km underground section, operating under strict environmental and safety controls due to the dense urban and heritage-sensitive alignment. A second TBM, Tao Bao, is continuing excavation toward Station S11. As of December 1, Package CP03 is 72 percent complete, with 3,395 of 3,495 tunnel ring segments cast.
The Nhon–Hanoi Station metro line is one of the capital’s priority urban rail investments, designed to reduce congestion and strengthen multimodal transport integration. The underground civil works form part of the wider 12.5 km line, which includes elevated and underground sections. Completion of TBM No. 1’s drive reflects increasing domestic capability in mechanised tunnelling, supported by international engineering expertise.