First HCMC metro line to open in July 2024

The updated plan for HCMC’s Metro Line No. 1 was mentioned in a report sent to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport by the Management Authority for Urban Railways of HCMC (MAUR) on Thursday.

The opening date is based on the fact that the metro line is 96% complete and a test run along the entire line was completed for the first time last month.

It is estimated that major construction will finish at the end of this year. The electricity system will then be complete in March next year and staff training programs are expected to wrap up in June, according to the plan.

MAUR is also set to complete nine pedestrian bridges connecting elevated stations along the metro line in the middle of next year.

The metro line will officially open to the public after the project inspection process is complete by around the middle of next year, according to MAUR.

Ho Chi Minh City’s Metro Line No. 1 train completes a test run in August 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tung

According to the HCMC Department of Transport plan, single ticket prices on the train will be calculated based on travel distance.

Those who travel up to five kilometers are expected to pay VND12,000 ($0.49), while those who travel between five and 10 kilometers are expected to pay VND14,000, and those who travel from 15 kilometers onward are expected to be charged VND18,000.

Unlimited one-day tickets are set to cost VND48,000 each, and unlimited three-day tickets are set to cost VND108,000 each.

A monthly pass is expected to cost VND260,000.

A map of the metro line No.1, which will run 19.7 km between Ben Thanh Market in District 1 and Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City. Graphics by VnExpress/Hoang Khanh

Prior to this newest revision of the plan, the train line was to be completed in late-2021, but it was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and numerous other paperwork issues.

According to MAUR, a few more matters regarding adaptations in design and land clearance, amongst others, will be resolved before the metro line is fully complete. The authority said it is cooperating with relevant parties to meet the proposed plan.

Costing over VND43.7 trillion, the city's first metro line spans 20 km, from Ben Thanh Station in District 1 to the Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City.

Construction began on the project in 2012.

The city's second metro line, connecting District 1’s Ben Thanh Market and Tham Luong canal, is set to break ground in 2025 for completion in 2030.