The official launch ceremony of metro line 1 is taking place.

(NLDO) - The official launch ceremony of metro line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) began at 7:00 a.m. this morning, December 22, at Ben Thanh central station.

The ceremony took place solemnly, with the attendance of Ho Chi Minh City leaders including Mr. Nguyen Van Nen, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, Mr. Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, leaders of the city's departments, branches, leaders at all levels, representatives of international organizations, businesses and thousands of people.

Welcome gate of the ceremony to officially announce the operation of the first urban railway line, metro line No. 1 of Ho Chi Minh City

Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen at the inauguration ceremony

At exactly 10:00 a.m. today (December 22), metro line No. 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) officially entered commercial operation to serve the people, after 12 years of construction.

Metro Line 1 has 17 trains, each with 3 cars, 61.5 m long, and can carry 930 passengers. Of these, 147 are seated and 783 are standing. The maximum designed speed is 110 km/h (elevated section) and 80 km/h (underground section). The train takes 29 minutes to run a route of about 19.7 km, from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien (passing through 14 train stations).

Metro Line 1, approved in April 2007 and started construction in 2012, is nearly 19.7km long, connecting the city center with the eastern gateway. The entire line includes 11 elevated stations and 3 underground stations, with a total investment of more than 43,700 billion VND. This is the first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City, expected to reduce traffic congestion, shorten travel time and contribute to building a modern, sustainable urban area.

From left to right, Mr. Phan Van Mai - Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Mr. Nguyen Minh Vu - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs , Mr. Nguyen Van Nen - Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee

The official operation event marks an important milestone in the modernization of Ho Chi Minh City's public transport system, opening a new step in the development of urban transport infrastructure, bringing practical benefits to the city's residents and neighboring areas.

The event was attended by many leaders of organizations and businesses.

From early morning, many people came to Ben Thanh station to attend the official launch ceremony of metro line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien). Mixed with excitement, many people could not hide their pride and emotion after 12 years of waiting for the first metro line of Ho Chi Minh City.

Mr. Thai Van Thong's family

Waking up at 3am to travel from Chau Thanh district, Tay Ninh province to Ho Chi Minh City to attend the event with his daughter's family, Mr. Thai Van Thong happily said: "I am very proud that Ho Chi Minh City has a modern, clean and green train line. I thank the city government for their determination to strive to put the train line into operation as planned. Metro line No. 1 not only creates momentum for economic and social development, facilitates people's travel, but also changes people's travel habits in the future," said Mr. Thong.

Mr. Phan Cong Bang, Head of Urban Railway Management Board

Mr. Phan Cong Bang, Head of the Urban Railway Management Board, the project investor, said that up to now, the project has completed 100% of the workload thanks to the strong direction from the Central and Ho Chi Minh City leaders.

"Although the implementation process encountered many difficulties, with the tireless efforts of leaders at all levels, the Urban Railway Management Board and Urban Railway Company No. 1 (HURC1), Metro Line No. 1 has officially reached the finish line in the joy of the city's people," said Mr. Bang.

Mr. Phan Cong Bang hopes that Metro Line 1 will become a modern means of public transport, well serving the travel needs of the people.

Mr. Bui Xuan Cuong - Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Bui Xuan Cuong, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, emphasized that the official operation of Metro Line 1 is an important milestone in the history of public transport development in Ho Chi Minh City.

"This is not only a symbol of the city's strong aspirations to grow, but also meets the urgent need for developing modern transport infrastructure," said Mr. Bui Xuan Cuong.

Mr. Bui Xuan Cuong also said that the event not only marked a turning point in the field of urban transport but also was an important demonstration of the strategic cooperation relationship between Vietnam and Japan, opening up trust and opportunities for new cooperation projects in the future.

Mr. ITO Naoki, Ambassador of Japan to Vietnam

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. ITO Naoki, said that metro line 1 will bring significant changes to people's lives.

According to him, this railway line connects areas with high transportation demand, while promoting the shift from using cars and motorbikes to modern means of transportation by urban railway.

Referring to Vietnam's economic development strategy, Mr. ITO Naoki emphasized the importance of areas such as strategic infrastructure, digital transformation, green transformation and high-quality human resource development, and affirmed that these are factors that create opportunities for extensive cooperation with foreign enterprises.  

The Ambassador also hopes that the success of Metro Line 1 will be a lever for Vietnam to implement many other key infrastructure projects. "Congratulations to all of you" - Mr. ITO Naoki sent his congratulations in Vietnamese.

At exactly 8:28 a.m. at the announcement ceremony, delegates and leaders pressed the button to officially operate metro line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien).

Lao Dong Newspaper will continue to update information about this important event.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/dang-dien-ra-cong-bo-van-hanh-chinh-thuc-tuyen-metro-so-1-196241222071617207.htm