Ho Chi Minh City welcomes first metro line

Metro operation in the Vietnamese city once known as Saigon started at 10.00 on 22 December with the 19.7km standard-gauge Line 1 from Ben Thanh in the city centre to Suoi Tien in the north-east suburbs. 17.1km is elevated and 2.6km underground. The cost was VND 43.7tr (USD 1.72bn), financed by Japanese credit. The Japanese ambassador attended the opening ceremony.  

 

17 three-car Hitachi trains are in service, powered by 1500V dc overhead. There was a month of free rides, after which fares of VND 7000-20000 will be charged according to distance. It is hoped to have tap-on tap-off arrangements for bank cards by early March. Construction has lasted since 2012. 61 bus lines have been arranged to feed the new metro, including 17 new ones served by electric buses, while stations have P+R areas for over 2000 motorcycles. Dozens of high-end luxury housing projects have sprung up along the line. The city expects to start construction of three more metro lines by 2027.