The Ho Chi Minh City Management Board for Urban Railway (MAUR) launched a campaign on Monday to finalize all necessary work and procedures to begin commercial operations of metro line No. 1 by December 22.

The 50-day campaign has been kick-started in response to the directions of national government and city leaders so that the metro line can officially operate by the end of this year after several delays, the MAUR said.

Accordingly, from now until December 20, the MAUR and the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway No. 1 Company Limited (HURC1) will coordinate with all stakeholders to complete the remaining items and procedures.

After about 12 years of construction, the project's main phases have been completed, including equipment installation and training of drivers and staff.

Phan Cong Bang, head of MAUR, emphasized that all relevant units will work without a day-off during the campaign to ensure its success.

The MAUR’s Emulation and Reward Council will monitor, appraise, and offer rewards to individuals and teams with outstanding performance during the campaign, Bang said.

In a recent interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Bang confirmed that construction and installation of the metro line is now 99.9 percent complete.

The project, which began in August 2012, has a total investment of approximately VND43.7 trillion ($1.72 billion), funded primarily through Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) loans.

The route is 19.7 kilometers long, including 2.6 kilometers of underground railway and 17.1 kilometers of elevated track.

It runs from Ben Thanh Market in District 1 to Suoi Tien Theme Park in Thu Duc City – a district-level administrative unit of Ho Chi Minh City – through three underground stations and 11 stops above the ground.

The line has a total of 17 trains, each capable of accommodating 930 passengers, including 147 sitting and 783 standing.

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