People expect
In recent days, while walking along Vo Nguyen Giap Street (old Hanoi Highway), Ho Chi Minh City residents occasionally see the images of metro trains No. 1 Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien running back and forth on the elevated section from Thu Duc to District 1 and vice versa. Everyone is eagerly waiting for the official operation date of this metro line.
On June 8, 2024, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City organized a tour and test run of the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line for 200 delegates, to listen to opinions and feedback from all walks of life. Photo: Chi Hung.
"Seeing the news that metro line 1 has been put into trial operation, I was also very excited. Hanoi already has two lines, I just hope Ho Chi Minh City will soon put them into operation so that people can go to work more conveniently," said Ms. Mai Lan (29 years old, living in Thu Duc City).
Also sharing about waiting for Metro Line 1, Minh Quan, a student living in the dormitory of Ho Chi Minh City National University, said that he is looking forward to experiencing the first metro train. As a student, Quan often travels from the dormitory to the city center by bus or motorbike, but always faces traffic jams during rush hour.
"When metro line 1 comes into operation, I will save a lot of time and won't have to worry about traffic jams or bad weather. Just thinking about sitting in a cool cabin and arriving at my destination in a flash... makes me happy. I also hope that buses will be conveniently connected so I won't have to use my personal vehicle anymore," Quan said.
What is needed to be operational by the end of 2024?
Urban railway line No. 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) is one of the key transport projects of Ho Chi Minh City, started in August 2012. After many delays, this metro is expected to be put into commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Lowest ticket 12,000 VND/trip
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport is seeking opinions from a number of units on ticket prices on metro line 1. According to the proposal, there will be 3 types of tickets: single ticket, daily ticket and monthly ticket.
In particular, with single-trip tickets, passengers traveling less than 5km will pay 12,000 VND/trip; from 5 - 10km will pay 14,000 VND/trip; from 10 - 15km will pay 16,000 VND and from 15km to the entire route of nearly 20km, the ticket price will be 18,000 VND.
The price of a daily ticket is 40,000 VND, the price of a 3-day ticket is 90,000 VND (these two types of tickets have no limit on trips). The suggested price of a monthly ticket is 260,000 VND (unlimited trips).
In addition, the Department of Transport proposed that the city budget support 100% of ticket prices for social policy beneficiaries and children under 6 years old; and support ticket prices for pupils and students.
According to the reporter, after 12 years of construction, the project has only about 2% of its work volume left to be completed. One of the reasons for the delay is due to the problems and different interpretations of the contract between the investor, NJPT consultant and Hitachi contractor.
Dr. Nguyen Huu Nguyen, Ho Chi Minh City Urban Development Planning Association, said: Although there is only 2% of the workload left, the fact that it has been extended for a whole year proves that this 2% is very important and needs to be focused on and implemented methodically, without haste.
"If we compare a project to a ball, the remaining 2% is like a hole in the ball. Even if the hole is small, if it is not resolved, it will not be able to be inflated. Similarly, if 98% is completed but there is no technical team to operate it, it will not be able to solve anything," said Mr. Nguyen.
According to Mr. Nguyen, in the remaining time, Ho Chi Minh City needs to focus on handling bottlenecks and applying special mechanisms to remove obstacles. The issue of training and educating human resources needs to be done systematically, and should not be rushed for the sake of progress. Because if the human resources are not guaranteed, it will lead to technical and software problems, affecting the entire operation process.
"Once a commitment is made, everything must be implemented effectively, not repeatedly breaking promises to the people," Mr. Nguyen said.
Speed up completion
The leader of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board said that after a period of effort to exchange and negotiate between the parties, the problems regarding the use of equipment of contractors for practical training have been basically resolved.
Metro line 1 is nearing completion and is expected to be put into commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Accordingly, the contractor Hitachi has handed over the entire electromechanical system of the CP3 package to the NJPT Joint Consulting Joint Venture to serve the practical training for the staff of the Urban Railway Company No. 1 (HURC1). This is an important milestone, helping the project to reach the finish line as planned.
At present, the entire electromechanical system including 11 trains, rails, ticket cards, information, signals, signs, depot and workshop equipment, and platform gates have all been handed over. After a long time of studying theory, HURC1 staff will now practice directly.
After completing the practical training course at the end of September, HURC1 staff will participate in trial operations in October and November under the supervision and independent assessment of the French system safety consultant.
Based on the results of the trial operation assessment as well as the system safety assessment report, the investor will submit the dossier to the Vietnam Railway Authority and the State Acceptance Council, complete the acceptance work, and put the project into operation.
"With the obstacles removed, the project is being accelerated by the units, entering the final stage to complete and put into commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2024," affirmed the leader of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board.
Run-up for metro line 2
Following positive signals from metro line 1, metro line 2 (Ben Thanh - Tham Luong) after many problems with land clearance has basically completed procedures. Up to now, the functional units have issued compensation decisions for 584/586 cases, reaching 99.6%. Of which, districts 1, 10, 12, Tan Binh, Tan Phu have achieved 100% land clearance handover. Only two households in district 3 have not yet handed over, the units are actively mobilizing.
In recent days, along Truong Chinh and Cach Mang Thang Tam streets, through districts 3, Tan Binh, Binh Tan... contractors have begun dismantling infrastructure systems such as power lines, water pipes, signs, lighting, and traffic lights. The Urban Railway Management Board also continues to carry out procedures to prepare for bidding for other packages.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, in the 2021-2025 period, Ho Chi Minh City will continue to build metro line 2, while also preparing for investment in the remaining lines. By 2035, the city plans to complete about 183km of metro including lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. By 2045, an additional 168.36km of metro will be built, bringing the total length of the line to about 351km (with the addition of line 7).
It is expected that by 2060, the city will complete construction of lines 8 (42.8km), 9 (28.32km), 10 (87.84km), increasing the total length to 510km.
Reporting to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the conference on August 10, held in Ho Chi Minh City, Chairman of the City People's Committee Phan Van Mai said that the city is coordinating with Hanoi City and the Ministry of Transport to complete the urban railway development project dossier, expected to be submitted to the National Assembly for approval at the meeting at the end of this year.
To implement, Ho Chi Minh City determined that by 2035, the capital demand will be 36 billion USD; by 2045, it will need 33 billion USD and by 2060, it will need 48 billion USD, mobilized through sources such as the city's public investment; from exploiting land funds around the station; borrowing local bonds... The city plans to submit to the competent authority to issue 25 policy mechanisms. Because without a superior mechanism, it will take centuries to complete 510km.
The missed appointments
Metro Line 1 urban railway project was approved in 2007 with a total investment of VND 17,387 billion.
In 2008, the project consultant, NJPT of Japan, recalculated and proposed an investment of VND47,325 billion. Of which, Japan's ODA loan accounted for 88.4%, equivalent to VND41,834 billion, the rest was counterpart capital from Ho Chi Minh City. The investment capital increased more than 2.7 times compared to the original, making the implementation progress difficult.
In August 2012, the project started construction and was expected to be completed in 2017 and put into operation in 2018. However, in 2019, the project continued to adjust the total investment, reducing it from VND 47,325 billion to VND 43,757 billion. At the same time, the completion date and putting into operation was postponed to the fourth quarter of 2022.
In April 2022, the Prime Minister issued Decision 65, approving adjustments to the project's investment policy, postponing the completion time to the end of the fourth quarter of 2023.
However, in October 2023, the investor MAUR requested an extension of the construction period to 2024, aiming for commercial exploitation in July 2024. However, this milestone was not achieved.
Nhon - Hanoi Station Metro attracts customers immediately after operation
In Hanoi, after many missed appointments, on August 8, the elevated section of the Nhon - Hanoi Railway Station metro line was put into commercial operation.
The project started in 2009, with a total investment of 18,408 billion VND, expected to be implemented from 2009 to 2015. By December 2018, the project capital had increased to 32,910 billion VND, with construction lasting until 2022.
The final milestone for the elevated section to be put into operation is the end of June, early July 2024 and the underground section is 2027. The total investment is raised to 34,532 billion VND. However, it is not until August 2024 that the project will be finalized for commercial operation.
Right after the official launch, this metro line welcomed tens of thousands of passengers every day (about 35,000 on August 8, more than 42,000 on August 9, 66,087 on August 10, and even more on weekends). Even though it was not the first metro line, people were still very excited.
Previously, in 2021, the Cat Linh - Ha Dong metro line was put into operation, after 10 years of construction. This is the first urban railway line in the capital and the whole country. The project implementation process encountered many difficulties and also missed the deadline many times. However, up to now, the number of train passengers is stable, chosen by many people to replace personal vehicles.
PV
Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/khi-nao-nguoi-dan-tphcm-duoc-di-metro-192240812222304934.htm
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