Flood prevention barriers installed at underground stations of HCMC's first metro line

The HCMC Management Authority for Urban Railways, the main investor of HCMC's metro line No.1, on Tuesday said the contractor has installed three flood prevention barriers at Ben Thanh, the HCMC Opera House, and Ba Son stations. The barriers have been part of the design since the beginning.

The barriers were designed based on statistics regarding the highest water level possibly seen at the stations, amid the fact that HCMC is heavily impacted by climate change.

The barriers could adjust their heights to withstand flood levels seen only once every 300 years, between 30-90 cm.

If water levels exceed the barriers’ capacity, the authority said the stations have several anti-flooding measures in place, such as sand bags or high-capacity pumps. The evacuation of people from lower areas has also been planned.

The Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line, spanning around 20 km, would be HCMC’s first metro line. With a total investment amount of over VND43.7 trillion (US$1.78 billion), it has a total of 14 stations, three of which are underground.

The project is now deemed 95% complete and is expected to enter commercial operation in July next year.