“As one of the first soldiers to liberate Saigon, I saw the city from a desolate place with sparse roads and vehicles. After decades of war, we now have a metro. and don’t have to hitchhike in another country” – Colonel Tran Quang Trieu, former Deputy Commander of the 4th Army Corps (veteran who participated in the Dien Bien Phu battlefield) expressed his emotion when experiencing the metro train No. 1 (Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien) on the morning of April 26.
At the age of over 90, Colonel Tran Quang Trieu and his teammates participating in the battlefield experienced metro train No. 1 (Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien) for the first time on a test run of the entire route. This meaningful activity of Ho Chi Minh City aims to celebrate the 49th anniversary of the National Unification Day (April 30, 1975), and the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu campaign’s complete victory (May 7, 1954).
In addition to welcoming the delegation of Dien Bien Phu veterans, today’s test train also welcomed other guest delegations from many domestic and foreign representative agencies in Ho Chi Minh City.
The guest group’s experience train starts at 9:25 a.m., with a 40km journey (round trip from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien and vice versa). In the photo are union officials and young people assisting veterans to move to basement B2 to prepare to board metro train No. 1.
Testing and safety assessment of trains on metro line No. 1 have been carried out from 2023 to present. The testing process is carried out according to strict Japanese and European standards to ensure the highest level of safety for the project when put into operation.
Experiencing metro train number 1 with his wife, veteran Duong Chi Ky, 90 years old (left) said that although he has traveled to many places and taken trains in countries around the world, there is no place as emotional as sitting on the metro train. Number 1 in Ho Chi Minh City.
“Through difficult wars, today the country has changed, becoming more and more developed and modern. I hope the country will continue to develop strongly, with many more train lines for people to enjoy. Enjoy convenient facilities and travel,” Mr. Duong Chi Ky said.
Mr. Duong Tri Ky fought in Dien Bien Phu. From 1965 until his retirement, he worked in the missile army, belonging to unit 274, Air Defense – Air Force, Division 377.
Sitting on the train, Mr. Le Dinh Xuan (90 years old) said he and his teammates carried medals with indescribable pride.
All are soldiers who once came out of the battlefield, looking at Ho Chi Minh City from the first day of recovery and development, many veterans cannot hide their emotions and pride when feeling the infrastructure and urban traffic of Ho Chi Minh City in particular. and the country modernizes day by day.
Guests experiencing metro train No. 1 for the first time also expressed their joy and hope that Ho Chi Minh City will soon put the project into commercial operation as well as continue to simultaneously build 7 other new lines.
When Metro No. 1 is put into operation, the lowest ticket price for a 5km trip is 12,000 VND, and a trip over 15km is 18,000 VND. In addition, the price of a 1-day ticket is 40,000 VND, a 3-day ticket is 90,000 VND and a monthly ticket is 260,000 VND.
Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board said that for the first time, metro line No. 1 trains were tested to run in fully automatic ATO/ATP mode.
At each station, trains will stop for 30 seconds and the platform gate system (which separates the platform space from the train track) will open automatically. Along with the testing process, the System Safety Consulting unit – BVT Joint Venture will have measurements and assessments to ensure the integrated test systems are safe.
In the near future, when the operation and maintenance staff are proficient, the project will move to a 2-month trial operation phase before official operation in the fourth quarter of this year.
Metro project No. 1 is 19.7km long, including 2.6km underground and 17.1km elevated. Total investment after adjustment is 43,700 billion VND. The project has a route through District 1, Binh Thanh, Thu Duc City (HCMC) and Di An (Binh Duong).
The entire metro line No. 1 has 3 underground stations, 11 elevated stations: Van Thanh, Tan Cang, Thao Dien, An Phu, Rach Chiec, Phuoc Long, Binh Thai, Thu Duc, Hi-Tech Park, Ho Chi Minh City National University, Suoi Tien bus station.
The project currently reaches 97% of the total volume. Previously, the Prime Minister issued Decision 65, approving the adjustment of investment policy for metro project No. 1, delaying the completion of this line to the end of the fourth quarter of 2023 with a commitment to not incur costs.
The investor continues to propose delaying completion of the project until the fourth quarter of this year.
