We may finally know when the Ho Chi Minh City metro line will start running. In April, the Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority of Urban Railways revealed that it expects commercial service to begin in 2021.
However, there is still a lot to be done in order for that to happen. Testing is expected to start in the coming months when contractors finish some of the outstanding work including the installation of roofing and walls at the Long Binh Depot station.
Additionally, the trains that will carry commuters are still undergoing final technical inspections in Japan. Once that’s done, Hitachi will ship the 17 carriages to Vietnam where test runs will be conducted. MAUR hopes all work and testing is concluded early next year.
When the Ho Chi Minh City metro line does start running, it will bring a 20-year saga to a close. The project was originally proposed all the way back in 2001, but construction of Line 1 was delayed until 2012. The metro line was supposed to begin operations in 2018, that was pushed back to 2021 after work was unable to proceed on schedule.
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The Ho Chi Minh City metro line will start running, but what’s next?
With Line 1 set to open in 2021, attention has now turned to what’s next for the Ho Chi Minh City metro line. Construction of the second line was slated to start in 2013 but has since been pushed back to 2020. Current timelines have it beginning commercial operations in 2026. Plans are also in place for four other rail lines with the Ho Chi Minh government having put forward a proposal to launch Line 3.
The 20-kilometer railway is expected to cost VND 68 trillion (USD 3 billion) and would link with Line 1. The project will be built in two phases. Work on the first phase would happen between 2025 and 2031 while the second phase of Line 3 would be constructed between 2028 and 2034.
