According to the municipal People's Committee, the city’s metro line 1 (Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien metro route) is scheduled to be completed and put into operation by the end of the fourth quarter of 2024. It is a national key project involving advanced and complicated technologies. Currently, HCMC is building maintenance and operation processes to manage, operate, and maintain Metro Line 1 when it begins operation.
However, there are regulations on appraisal authority, appraisal content, and authority to approve documents for the management, operation, exploitation, and maintenance of urban railways, but they have not been completed yet.
According to decree No. 06/2021/ND-CP on quality management, construction and maintenance of construction works, the investor, owner, or manager of a construction project may hire a consulting firm with sufficient qualifications and expertise to review either a portion or the entirety of the maintenance procedures for the construction project prepared by the design contractor. This review serves as the basis for approval.
In addition, circular No. 42/2016/TT-BGTVT dated December 19, 2016, issued by the Ministry of Transport, on national technical regulations on operation and maintenance of urban railways stipulates the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities with urban railways are responsible for approving operational and maintenance procedures for urban railways in accordance with legal regulations and standards, ensuring suitability for each line, and coordinate with relevant agencies to organize inspections and checks on the implementation of these regulations.
Therefore, the HCMC People's Committee proposed the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Transport guide competent agencies to evaluate and approve the maintenance process and the operation of Metro Line 1.
