Metro Line 1 Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien will officially start commercial operation from December 22, much to the anticipation of the city's residents after 12 years of construction. Along with the excitement and anticipation are concerns of many residents about transportation and parking when experiencing Metro Line 1.
Mr. Trinh Minh Hoang (32 years old, living in Dong Nai) said that he had registered to experience Metro Line 1 on December 14. Modern, safe, clean and beautiful are Mr. Hoang's comments about the first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City.
"Last weekend, I had some free time so I signed up to try out the first Metro line. However, finding a parking space took a lot of time because the station I was going to was Ben Thanh station, which currently does not have its own parking lot," said Mr. Hoang.
Ben Thanh Station, part of Metro Line 1, is the largest and most beautiful station, located in the most prime area of the city. This is also one of the three underground stations that do not have a separate parking area, so people have to find their own parking space in nearby shopping malls or parks.
According to Mr. Hoang, for local people who are "familiar" with the area and know the location of shopping centers or parks near the train station to park their vehicles, there is nothing to worry about. However, for people from far away like him, finding a place to park is not easy.
"I hope that in the future, Ben Thanh underground station will soon have its own parking lot to make it more convenient for people to experience Metro Line 1," said Mr. Hoang.
Similarly, Ms. Quynh Huong (residing in Thu Duc City) shared that she is very excited to experience the first Metro line in Ho Chi Minh City and looks forward to it every day.
"My family's plan is to travel by motorbike to Suoi Tien station this weekend, maybe park the motorbike at Suoi Tien tourist area, then take the train to Ben Thanh station in District 1," Ms. Huong added.
According to Lao Dong reporters, when taking Metro Line 1 from Ben Thanh Station, people can park their vehicles at Ben Thanh Market or at the shopping mall on Le Loi Street, about 800 meters from Ben Thanh Station. People can also park their vehicles at September 23 Park, about 1 km from Ben Thanh Station.
The area also has many bus routes and nearby public bike stations, giving residents more travel options.
The remaining two underground stations, City Theater Station and Ba Son Station, currently do not have their own parking lots, so people can choose to park their vehicles in the same way as when going to Ben Thanh Underground Station.
The city will also use 4-wheel electric vehicles to connect Ben Thanh, City Theater and Ba Son underground stations according to a flexible model of routes and times, based on passenger needs, creating maximum convenience for people when experiencing Metro Line 1.
Currently, the entire Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien Metro Line has 10 parking lots below the elevated stations to serve passengers. Particularly, the Suoi Tien station area (in front of the new Mien Dong bus station) can take advantage of the additional parking lot of this bus station.
In addition, there are 5 motorbike parking lots located next to the elevated stations to serve the people, including Van Thanh, Thao Dien, Rach Chiec, Phuoc Long, Binh Thai.
In particular, Van Thanh station has a motorbike parking lot with an area of 770 m2 under the overpass, next to the bus and taxi pick-up and drop-off area...
