After seven years of construction, Ben Thanh Station in District 1, one of three underground stations for the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line, is nearly finished.
The station spans 236 m (about 774.28 ft) in length and 60 m in width. It will be a central station for HCMC's first metro line, eventually connecting it with future metro lines in the city.
The first floor has a system of 174 concrete beams with aluminum. It spans around 45,000 m2 (about half the area of Chicago's Millennium Park). It will have a waiting lobby, ticket-selling booths, and an underground square.
An illustration of Ben Thanh underground station. Photo courtesy of the HCMC Management Authority for Urban Railways.
At the entrance of the station are ticket-checking areas, where automatic ticket-selling systems will be in place. Next to that are rooms for ticket-selling and security surveillance.
Escalators and stairs will lead people down to the station's second floor. Elevators will also be available.
An installed elevator is seen at the station. As designed, the first two floors will be for the first metro line, while the other floors will be reserved for the second (Ben Thanh-Tham Luong) and other future lines.
Two railways run parallel between Ben Thanh Station and the municipal Opera House, each spanning 660 m in length and 1.4 m in width. There are signs to instruct people on the train's direction and billboards for entertainment.
A lotus-themed sky well spanning 21.6 m in diameter brings light into the station.
The contractor of the project said staircases and plants will be placed near the sky well in the future. The open space will also allow passengers of the metro to directly see Ben Thanh market.
The technical room is where systems for ventilation, pumps, electricity and air conditioning are installed.
