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A Line 1-inspired metro beside the Thao Dien platform.Stationary · doors closed

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Target speed 30 km/h

0km/h
model speed

Ready at the platform. Open the doors or start a journey.

Explore on the model

Explore topic photographs, diagrams and resources ↓

About this model & sources

A simplified Line 1-inspired illustration. These are general railway principles; equipment and layouts vary by fleet. Electrical circuits, wheel–rail contact and individual brake systems are not simulated.

Alstom · Components ↗ · Alstom · Suspension ↗ · Hitachi Rail · Energy recovery ↗

Station type

Route

Journey progress0%

Try changing the street connection

Move the entrance or add a crossing, then compare the outdoor path. The route uses the shorter available crossing. These choices restart the journey.

Place the entrance

Street access

Compare the route

Outdoor route
Change from baseline
Lift journeys on this route

Baseline: the same route and station type, west entrance and existing crossing. Distance follows the drawn outdoor path at an assumed 0.5 m per model unit; it is not a measured station journey.

Who does the design serve?

The choices behind the space

Try another perspective

Explore topic photographs, diagrams and resources ↓

Model & sources

Fictional elevated and underground layouts, not Vietnamese station plans or accessibility standards. Cut earth, roofs and front walls reveal the interior; they are not construction stages. Stairs, lifts and level boarding are illustrative. No real fares, walking times, capacities, costs or development forecasts are calculated. Outdoor distance uses an assumed scale only. Ventilation, drainage, evacuation and construction are not simulated. The neighbourhood lesson shows an arrival at this same station; no train trip to a second station is simulated.

TfL · Step-free routes and boarding access World Bank · Stations, places and access Sound Transit · Boarding and alighting Crossrail · Ventilation and drainage systems Crossrail · Underground station design and construction World Bank · Fare policy and public transport access

→ Outbound A–E← Return E–A2 main tracks · 2 rails per track

Fictional diorama · Stations A–E · Several trains follow each other on each main track. Three cars per train, assumed capacity 600. Reserve trains and waiting figures are abbreviated; readouts give model totals.

At either end: unload → move into the tail track → stop and change the active cab → cross to the return track → board passengers. The depot branch joins the railway; depot dispatch is not simulated.

Requested service interval Available fleet

Passenger arrivals

Additional stop at C Illustrative fare per trip Illustrative public support per hour Reference monthly income

Live diorama

Simulated time
Waiting to board
On trains

While running, 1 real second = 30 simulated seconds; a run lasts at most one simulated hour. Interval, fleet or demand changes restart it. Fares, support and income change budget arithmetic only.

What does this mean for passengers?

Resources and public choices

Try observing

Explore topic photographs, diagrams and resources ↓

Assumptions and references

Fictional 8 km line each way. Each interstation run takes two minutes; intermediate stops 30 seconds; terminals at least two minutes. Minimum circuit 23 minutes; spare time is shared by both terminals. Turnback: 10 seconds unloading, 30 outward, 15 changing ends plus recovery, 45 returning via the crossover, 20 boarding. Only one train may use each terminal throat at once. Geometry is schematic; complete signalling, acceleration, turnout engineering and depot dispatch are excluded. Busier-direction arrivals are 3,000 or 12,000/hour; reverse demand is 55%, distributed across four origins as 45/30/15/10%. Everyone rides to their directional terminal. Initial trains are already in service.

All coefficients are authored for this experiment: 6 kWh/train-km; VND 2,500/kWh; VND 70,000/post-hour; VND 100,000 maintenance/train-km; VND 20 million/hour fixed station services. Posts = active trains + 13. Construction, land, financing, depreciation and tax are excluded.

Planned trips add the minimum of demand and capacity for each direction separately. Reverse demand is 55% of busiest-direction demand. Fare contribution = trips × fare; balance = fares + support − operating cost. The live delay is excluded from this regular-service budget. Monthly spending = 44 trips × fare. No universal affordability threshold is imposed.

FTA · Headway, crowding and service quality FTA · Rail operating capacity study BART · Crossover and turnback service World Bank · Fares and affordability World Bank · Metro revenue, support and costs

+1: Podiums & pedestrian bridges
G: Square & local services
B1: Shopping street & concourse
B2: Platforms & railway tracks

An illustrative future TOD inspired by real systems. It is not an approved design for a particular site.

What is TOD?

TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) means transit-oriented development: organising homes, jobs, retail and amenities around public transport stations, with convenient walking, cycling and public transport connections.

Concentrate around stations. Match population and activity density to the station’s role and local infrastructure.
Mix everyday uses. Homes, jobs, services and shared spaces support daily life in the same district.
Connect the pieces. Usable routes connect buildings with the station and other public transport.

Research for understanding TOD

Three background resources inform the explanation. Each answers a different question; city photographs, maps and records follow below.

World Bank · Concepts and the 3V framework
World Bank · The 3V Approach
Where and when does TOD make sense? The 3V framework considers station connectivity, the quality of the urban environment and market potential together. The introduction links to the full report.
JICA · Summary report, November 2017 · Chapter 3
JICA · Integrating Urban Rail and Urban/Regional Development
How can rail and urban development work together? Chapter 3 explains TOD, walking networks, mixed uses and the relationship between stations and surrounding districts; later chapters discuss implementation and resources.
JICA · Planning study, 2015
JICA · Integrated urban development and TOD in Hanoi
How can TOD be studied in a Vietnamese context? This document presents station-area development proposals for Hanoi. It is a 2015 planning record; current progress is described separately in the Hanoi case below.

Learning from places that have changed

Real photographs, original resources and lessons for future cities. HCMC and Hanoi have separate records of operating services, construction and development directions. Photo dates are independent of data dates.

Ben Thanh station skylight and street-level space · 24 December 2024.
Xuanphuocle · CC0 · Original photo
Resized; full frame retained.

What has taken shape

The development process

A lesson for future cities

Documents, maps and original sources

Cases differ in date and scale. Photographs illustrate a place; land-use, housing and economic changes need to be checked against the accompanying records.

Sources reviewed: 16 October 2026. Each case retains its confirmed observation date; this is not live data.

About the illustrative model

This authored mixed-use district includes apartment towers, offices, a hotel, retail podiums and public spaces. Vertical route legs represent lifts. Two tracks can serve opposite directions. People and trains provide spatial context; the model does not simulate flows, timetables, income or house prices.

The cutaway deliberately omits floors and building envelopes to reveal the interior. This is neither an engineering design nor a copy of Shinjuku. Real projects require separate design and assessment of step-free access, fire safety and evacuation.

A · East–west corridor
B · University–services
C · Jobs–production
Gold · Selected journey

An illustrative future network. A, B and C are fictional lines; this model does not simulate timetables, GDP, land prices or a real network.

When connections reshape cities

Japan, China and London illustrate different dimensions: settlement, development finance and access to jobs. HCMC and Hanoi have their own milestones. Indicators cover different areas and periods; they are not a ranking of cities.

Kashiwanoha-campus station, residential towers and a bus · 23 October 2016. Contextual photograph, not either population observation date.
nesnad · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original photo
Resized; full frame retained.

Observed changes

Economic and urban meaning

How to read the evidence

Read the original resources

Sources reviewed: 16 October 2026. Figures retain their reporting periods; photographs are independently dated and do not establish causality.

About the model and the evidence

Three metro lines, two interchanges, a bus connection and regional railway explain relationships between centres. Paired tracks and elevations are simplified for readability. Gold denotes the selected journey, not passenger density. Transfers connect at shared nodes; crossing at different heights does not mean trains can change lines.

This model does not forecast demand, GDP, employment, house prices, profit or delivery dates. Outcomes also depend on land policy, labour markets, housing, service quality and how benefits are shared. Real case figures are not parameters of the model.

Find your metro journey

Plan a trip or explore metro lines across Vietnam.

Where are you travelling?

Search by

Choose two stations to find your boarding direction.

From station

To station

Your journey

Confirm your starting point and destination, then select Find metro route.

Estimated travel time

To and from stations

Metro line

Boarding station

Exit station

Total routed distance: —
Walking: —
Motorbike: —
Metro: —

Estimate & access details

Ride time is a model estimate; waiting and movement inside stations are excluded.

Reach your boarding station
Reach your destination

Exit station

Mapped railway alignment. Train speeds and station stops are simulated.

Route data & sources ↗

Plan a trip. Understand the metro.

Plan metro trips in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Explore stations, train directions and interactive guides to trains, railway infrastructure and urban change.

Choose departure and arrival stations in the map above to see your journey and train direction. Station-to-station planning works without an address search.

Today uses lines recorded as operating. Future separates projects and modelling assumptions from services that are open to passengers.

Rail alignments use mapped data; train travel times and station stops are simulated. This independent app is not an operator information channel. Check timetables, fares and service changes with the operator before travelling.

Read data sources and review dates ↗

Compare the route

Live diorama

Research for understanding TOD

World Bank · The 3V Approach

JICA · Integrating Urban Rail and Urban/Regional Development

JICA · Integrated urban development and TOD in Hanoi

Learning from places that have changed

What has taken shape

The development process

A lesson for future cities

Documents, maps and original sources

When connections reshape cities

Observed changes

Economic and urban meaning

How to read the evidence

Read the original resources

Find your metro journey

Preview my trip

Your metro trip

Your journey

Getting to and from the metro

Nearby places

Expected timing by section

Current progress and next steps

Project scope and qualifications

About the journey simulation

Real examples & further reading

Scope of this example

Read the original resources

Plan a trip. Understand the metro.