The Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien) project has officially begun its trial run, moving closer to its completion.

According to a representative from the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board (the project’s investor), the city’s first metro line has started its trial run from October 1st, following a period of theoretical and practical training for employees of HURC1 Company.

The Ho Chi Minh City Metro Line 1 runs along Hanoi Highway and is expected to be operational by Q4/2024.

The trial run will be conducted in two phases: Phase 1 is supervised by Japanese experts from the NJPT consulting group, while Phase 2 will be managed by staff from HURC1 Company.

This trial phase is expected to last until November 17th and will cover 47 different scenarios, ranging from normal operations to emergency situations such as fire, explosion, power outage, flooding, and signal loss at various points along the entire Metro Line 1 route (including both the elevated and underground sections).

Metro Line 1 Scheduled to Launch in December 2024

Prior to the trial run, the Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) completed agreements with Hitachi and other contractors regarding the use of their equipment for training and trial operations. During this process, the trains will run as they would during actual commercial operations, with a headway of 4 minutes and 30 seconds between each train.

All operational staff, including train drivers, dispatchers at the Operations Control Center (OCC), and station personnel, will be mobilized. A total of 71 employees will participate in each trial operation shift, with two shifts conducted daily.

In parallel with the trial run, safety evaluation experts from the BVT consortium (a partnership between Bureau Veritas of France and TEDI of Vietnam) will monitor, witness, and assess the proficiency of HURC1 Company employees in handling emergency situations.

From November 18th to 31st, the system safety evaluation consultants are expected to complete their safety assessment reports and submit them to the Railway Department for safety validation in accordance with the Railway Law. Based on this, the State Acceptance Council for Construction Projects under the Ministry of Construction will conduct final inspections and approve the project for commercial operation, which is anticipated to take place in December.