First test run begins on HCM City's Metro No.1 line
PSNews - The intial test run of the Metro Line No. 1 in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) was conducted on December 21 following the project being under construction for more than 10 years.
The test run was carried out on a section of more than eight kilometres, connecting Suoi Tien station and Binh Thai station.
The elevated section is designed for trains to run at a speed of 110 kilometres per hour (kph) but for the test run the train started at a speed of 5kph and gradually reach 20kph.
According to the HCMC Urban Railways (MAUR),so far 93% of the workload of the Metro Line No.1 project has been completed. MAUR has committed to working alongside the contractor to speed up the project implementation and put the train into operation next year soon in order to mark the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations.
Metro Line No. 1, nearly 20km long, has a total investment of over VNĐ43.7 trillion (US$1.9 billion). It consists of 14 stations, three underground and 11 elevated, and runs through District 1, Binh Thaanh District, Thu Đuc City and the neighbouring province Binh Duong.
The first metro line has 17 Japanese-made trains, each with a capacity to hold 930 passengers and each train can travel up to 110 kph above ground and 80 kph underground. All 17 trains have been tested at Long Binh depot in Thu Duc city since August.
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