HCMC schedules full trial run of first metro line on September 2

Ho Chi Minh City plans to conduct a full trial run on the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line (Metro Line No. 1) on September 2, according to the municipal Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR).

Nguyen Quoc Hien, vice head of HCMC's MAUR, said Metro Line No. 1 is 95% complete, and the remaining work, including equipment installation, the trial run, and assessment, will be finished this year.

However, a date for commercial operations remains a question, depending on the safety assessment of independent international units, he added.

The 19.7-kilometer line will run from Ben Thanh Hub in District 1 to Suoi Tien Depot in Thu Duc city on HCMC’s outskirts. The project has cost VND43.7 trillion ($1.89 billion), sourced from Japanese official development assistance (ODA) and Vietnamese counterpart funds. Work began on the metro line in 2008. The project has missed several deadlines.

A test run was conducted in December 2022 on an elevated section of the line. During the test, the train stopped to pick up and drop off passengers at the Hi-tech Zone Station near Saigon Hi-tech Park.

HCMC has plans for 220 kilometers of metro lines with an investment of $25 billion. The network could reach 56.43 kilometers with an investment of $8.85 billion by 2030, Hien added.

HCMC’s Ben Thanh-Tham Luong line (Metro Line No. 2), with an investment of VND47.89 trillion ($2.04 billion), is set to begin construction in 2025 and enter operation in 2030. The 11.04-kilometer metro features 9.09 kilometers of underground track and 1.95 kilometers overground. So far, 86.35% of site clearance has been completed.

The city is drafting plans for Metro Line No. 3 connecting the Ben Thanh market with a high-tech healthcare zone; Metro Line No. 4 linking Thanh Xuan ward of District 12 and the Hiep Phuoc urban area; and Metro Line No. 5 joining the Bay Hien crossroads and Saigon bridge.

HCMC is calling for ODA from foreign partners, such as JICA, ADB, KfW and EIB, to fund the projects, while offering the transit oriented development (TOD) model to attract resources.

According to a document sent by HCMC Chairman Phan Van Mai on June 13 to National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue concerning special policies and mechanisms for HCMC's development, the municipality wants to issue international bonds to raise $16 billion for the completion of nine metro and railway projects. The document clarified that issuance of domestic bonds would be unlikely to raise such huge and affordable amounts for the projects.