French rail giant Alstom secures $897 million train order for Hanoi metro

According to Alstom, the trains will be designed and manufactured at its Valenciennes Petite-Forêt plant in France, the group's center of expertise for metro systems.

The order will be recorded in the third quarter of Alstom's 2026-27 fiscal year.

However, the company has not disclosed how many trains are covered by the initial order or the total value of its agreement with Vingroup.

The order is part of a broader agreement announced by Alstom and Vingroup on October 6 to supply 200 next-generation Metropolis trains and transfer technology to support train assembly in Vietnam.

Under the partnership, Alstom will design, manufacture, and supply up to 83 Metropolis trains from its French facility.

The remaining 117 trains will be assembled by Vingroup in Vietnam using components supplied by Alstom under a technology licensing agreement.

Each train will consist of five cars with lightweight aluminum alloy bodies designed to improve energy efficiency and reduce wear on railway tracks.

The trains will support fully automated, driverless operation at Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4), the highest level of train automation.

They will also feature regenerative braking systems that recover energy during braking for reuse.

Vingroup previously said the partnership aims not only to supply trains for Hanoi's expanding metro network but also to develop domestic manufacturing and assembly capabilities.

Alstom has operated in Vietnam for more than 30 years and previously supplied 10 four-car Metropolis trains, along with signaling, power supply, and depot equipment, for Hanoi's Metro Line 3.

Under the development plan cited by the two companies, Hanoi aims to build an urban railway network spanning 979 kilometers across 18 lines by 2045, making metro services the backbone of the capital's public transport system.