Metro No. 1 offers free 1-month tickets. Passengers can easily access Metro No. 1 stations by bus, public bicycle and tram.
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.
200 trips/day
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).
Ms. Van Thi Huu Tam, Deputy Director of the Urban Railway One Member Co., Ltd. (HURC1) - the train operator, said that on December 22 alone, the train will operate from 10:00 a.m. In phase 1 (first 6 months), there will be 200 trips/day with 9 trains. The operating time is from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The interval is 8 minutes/trip during peak times and 12 minutes/trip during off-peak times.
Phase 2 is expected to increase to 276 trips/day from Monday to Friday and 226 trips/day on weekends, holidays/Tet, and summer vacations. Operating hours are from 5:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Intervals are 5-8 minutes/trip during peak hours, 10 minutes/trip during normal hours, and 15 minutes/trip during off-peak hours.
Regarding ticket prices, during the first 30 days of operation, people will be exempted from tickets for metro line 1. After that, passengers will buy tickets at the highest price of 20,000 VND/trip and the lowest price of 6,000 VND/trip. In addition, passengers can buy monthly tickets at 300,000 VND/person/ticket/month; students 150,000 VND (50% discount). Ho Chi Minh City applies a policy of exempting and reducing ticket prices for people with meritorious services, people with disabilities, children, etc.
Metro Line 1 accepts payment for fares in cash, coins, and domestic and foreign bank cards. Passengers can also use their existing bank cards or pay via Apple Pay/Google Pay/Samsung Pay to take the train.
Passengers experience metro line 1 before its official operation. Photo: HOANG TRIEU
Multiple ways to connect to the metro
Regarding connecting and transferring passengers to metro line 1, a representative of HURC1 said there are many options such as passengers can take the bus through the system of 17 electric bus routes connecting to metro stations or the existing bus system with routes passing through the stations. To look up information on these bus routes, people can go to the website buyttphcm.gov.vn or the app Go!Bus.
At stations such as Van Thanh Park, Thao Dien, Rach Chiec, Phuoc Long, Binh Thai, Suoi Tien Bus Station, parking lots are arranged to facilitate metro passengers. Particularly at central stations such as Ben Thanh, City Theater, Ba Son, passengers can access the station by public bicycle with 45 locations arranged near the stations. Passengers can also take the 4-wheel electric Buggy that operates according to the route and time, based on people's needs, with a fare of 5,000 - 10,000 VND/trip.
In addition, the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center also invested in adding 23 new bus shelters to the stations on the Hanoi - Vo Nguyen Giap highway and 230 stops for newly opened routes. The construction unit is urgently completing the painting, electrical equipment installation, sanitation, partitions, etc.
Clean, convenient
Experiencing metro train No. 1 with her daughter before the train's launch, Ms. Dang Thi Dung (living in Binh Thanh district) shared: The train ran very smoothly, in less than 30 minutes, the two of us were in Thu Duc. My daughter kept asking me to take pictures to show off to her friends.
Ms. Le Vu Quy Hien (living in District 3) who often travels abroad said that Ho Chi Minh City's metro line 1 is very modern, clean and convenient, not inferior to European metro lines. "When using the metro, passengers can pay in many flexible and integrated ways. I really like this. With reasonable ticket prices and convenience, the metro will gradually create a habit for people to use public transport" - Ms. Hien commented.
On a business trip to Ho Chi Minh City this time, Mr. Nguyen Tan Phuc (living in Hanoi) feels lucky to experience metro line 1.
"The metro is not new to me because Hanoi already has two metro lines, and I often go to work and go out by metro. But metro line 1 in Ho Chi Minh City is different because it goes through three specially designed underground stations. I am very excited to experience it on December 22," said Mr. Phuc.
Metro Line No. 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) is the first metro project in Ho Chi Minh City with a total investment of 211,661 billion yen (equivalent to 43,757.15 billion VND). Of which, ODA loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is 38,265.55 billion VND and counterpart capital from the city budget is 5,491.6 billion VND.
The project passes through districts: District 1, Binh Thanh, Thu Duc City of Ho Chi Minh City and partly through Di An City - Binh Duong province.
The total length of the line is 19.7 km, including 2.6 km underground and 17.1 km above ground, with 14 stations: 3 underground stations, 11 above ground stations and Long Binh depot in Thu Duc City.
Two adjustments, five extensions
Metro Line 1 project was approved by Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee in Decision No. 1453/QD-UBND dated April 6, 2007 and adjusted in Decision No. 4480/QD-UBND dated September 21, 2011.
The project has undergone two total investment adjustments: from VND 17,387 billion to VND 47,325 billion in 2011; from VND 47,325 billion to VND 43,757 billion in 2019. The project has undergone five requests to postpone the exploitation time, the first times in 2011, 2015, 2019, 2021 and mid-2024.
The third time, the request to postpone the exploitation time was related to the adjustment of the total investment, delay in handing over the site, the ability to balance capital and adjust the design. The fourth time was due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, causing the plan to import trains and experts to be prolonged... The fifth time was due to the delay in acceptance of completion, issuance of safety certificates, fire prevention and fighting...
Source: https://nld.com.vn/metro-so-1-chinh-thuc-van-hanh-thuong-mai-196241221202918494.htm
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