Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Line to start trial run in June
HCM City’s Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Line 1 aims to start trial operations in June in order to meet the official start of services in 2021.
On April 27, the fence surrounds the construction site was removed and trees were planted to celebrate Reunification Day on April 30. Lam Son Park will be restored as city authorities instructed agencies to give the cityscape from Le Loi Street to Ben Thanh Market a facelift.
Planting flowers outside Ho Chi Minh City Opera House
Ba Son Station and HCM City Opera House Station are two of the line's underground stations. They are 190 metres long, 26 metres wide with four floors. The first floor will be the waiting area, ticket machines and information stands. The second and fourth floor will be the train station, the third floor will store equipment for station staff, disaster control centre, and electrical equipment rooms as well as air conditioners and ventilation systems.
The underground stations are being completed
The ground clearance task was completed 127 days earlier and the first floor was completed 96 days ahead of schedule. The city urban railway management board and the contractor have worked hard to overcome difficulties during the outbreak.
Bui Xuan Cuong, head of HCM City Urban Railway Management Board, said, "In the coming time, we’ll work with the contractors to deal with problems in the contracts, disbursement and to improve the procedures in order to complete the line as soon as possible."
Nearly 20 km of the line, from Ben Thanh Station in District 1 to Long Binh Depot in District 9, has been cleared. In June, the authorities will start the trial run. The trial run will be divided into several phases and sections. Metro Line 1 will have 17 trains, each train will have three passenger carriages.
Ben Thanh Market Station
The management board is speeding up to complete other packages like the signal system so the project will be 85% completed in 2020 and ready for operation in late 2021. The funding for the project has been secured after the city people's committee adjusted the total investment.
The contractors were asked to monitor the situation and protect the employees' health amid the virus outbreak.
Vo Van Hoan, chairman of HCM City People's Committee, said, "The metro line marks a major change and development of the city for the future. Both the authorities and the public hope that the project will be completed soon. We have plans to let the public visit the completed areas."
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