At the 20th session of the 10th term of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council on the afternoon of December 10, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai said that Metro Line 1 will begin commercial operation from December 22. However, the inauguration ceremony of the project will not take place at this time.
According to Mr. Phan Van Mai, Metro Line No. 1 is a symbol of cooperation between Vietnam and Japan, so the inauguration ceremony needs the participation of leaders of the two countries and relevant agencies. "The inauguration ceremony is expected to be held after the Lunar New Year 2025" - Mr. Phan Van Mai said.
In 2024, Ho Chi Minh City has made efforts to complete the remaining items of Metro Line 1. Currently, the city is speeding up the necessary procedures to ensure operation as planned.
Last week, the Ministry of Public Security coordinated with Ho Chi Minh City to resolve procedures related to fire prevention and fighting. At the same time, central agencies also supported the city to complete the train safety certification.
“The State Acceptance Council and ministries have actively supported Ho Chi Minh City. It is expected that all procedures will be completed this week, at the latest by December 20,” Mr. Phan Van Mai emphasized.
Although the project's progress has been guaranteed, the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee also admitted that there are still some disputes between the parties involved. The city has established a working group, co-chaired by the leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and the Japanese Ambassador, to resolve the problems.
In the event of failure to reach consensus, disputes shall be resolved through international arbitration.
At the meeting, the HCMC People's Council considered the HCMC People's Committee's proposal on policies to support passengers using public train and bus services.
The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has proposed to support all ticket prices for the first 30 days since the route is put into commercial operation. The total estimated cost for this free activity is about 15.7 billion VND.
At the same time, the city budget will spend an additional 17.3 billion VND to operate 17 free bus routes connecting to Metro Line 1 during the same period.
Metro No. 1 is also completely free for policy beneficiaries such as people with revolutionary contributions, people with disabilities, the elderly (over 60 years old) and children under 6 years old accompanied by adults.
Metro Line 1 started construction in 2012 with a total investment of over 43,700 billion VND. This is the first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City, nearly 20 km long, connecting the city center with the eastern gateway, including 11 elevated stations and 3 underground stations.
