The Management Authority for Urban Railways in Ho Chi Minh City kicked off construction of the first phase of the metro route from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien today, August 28.
The 20km metro route will run through Districts 1, 2, 9, Binh Thanh, Thu Duc in HCMC and parts of Di An District in the neighboring province of Binh Duong.
Three kilometers of the route will run underground with three stations and the remaining sections will be constructed above the ground with 11 stations.
The route will begin at Ben Thanh Market in District 1 and end at Long Binh Depot in District 9.
Total cost of this section of the route is estimated at US$2.2 billion. The metro route is expected to complete by the end of 2017 and begin operations the following year.
According to the Management Authority for Urban Railways, Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro route will be the main public transport means within the city, with capacity to carry about 526,000 passengers a day.
The city has prioritized building of the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro route to ease the regular traffic flow on Hanoi Highway as well as entry gates like Saigon Bridge and Hang Xanh roundabout in the east of the City.
To further ease traffic flow, the Mien Dong Bus Station will be moved to Suoi Tien area by 2015 and connected as the last stop for the metro route.
Nguyen Do Luong, head of the Management Authority for Urban Railways, said that the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro route will run with six coaches containing 1,860 passengers. However, before 2020, only three coaches will operate.
Mr. Luong added that with maximum speed of 80km an hour in the tunnels and 110km on the ground, it will take 29 minutes to travel from Suoi Tien to the City center, including stop time at stations.
The metro will run for 20 hours a day with a train departing in intervals of every five to six minutes.
Stations along the metro route will provide parking lots for passengers and connect with flyovers on Hanoi Highway to facilitate smooth travel for passengers.
Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro route will pass through the spots shown below
