Vietnamese operate HCMC metro for first time in full test run

The trainees at the Urban Railway Company No. 1 (HURC1), the subway operator, tested the line under the supervision of Japanese experts.

Previous test runs were carried out by foreigners employed by the Japanese contractor.

The HURC1 personnel involved in the test operation included 101 drivers, dispatchers, management staff, and station employees.

It covered the full distance of 19.7 km from Ben Thanh Station in District 1 to Suoi Tien Station in Thu Duc City.

"Participation in the full line test run allows trainees to gain hands-on experience, preparing them to efficiently operate the metro line once it becomes operational," said an official at the Management Authority for Urban Railways, which manages all metro projects in the city.

The trainees have had 17 months of theoretical training and practice on simulators.

Their hands-on training was delayed due to disagreements between Japanese contractor Hitachi, which supplies electrical equipment, locomotives, carriages, and rails, and consulting unit NJPT, a consortium led by Japan's Nippon Koei.

In early August, after the issue was sorted out, Hitachi began handing over the equipment and trains, enabling HURC1 personnel to start hands-on training.

According to MAUR, the practical training portion will be completed in September.

Two months after that the staff will participate in trial operations with independent evaluation by French safety system consultant BVT.

That will be a prelude to commercial operation, which the city plans by year-end.

The Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien line has cost VND43.7 trillion ($1.72 billion) and was 12 years in construction.

It has three underground stations and 11 above ground.