The Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Line No. 1 project in Ho Chi Minh City is scheduled to commence commercial operations on December 22, the Management Authority for Urban Railways of Ho Chi Minh City (MAUR), which is the investor, announced at a press conference on Thursday.

The metro line is fully completed and all parties involved are finalizing preparations for its official service.

MAUR and Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway No. 1 Company Limited, the metro line operator, are cooperating on staff training, train operation, acceptance, and the handover of completed items to prepare for the rollout.

They are also seeking approval to use some of the metro line’s infrastructure assets. 

Van Thi Huu Tam, deputy director of Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway No. 1 Company Limited, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that trains on the first metro line will operate from 5:00 am to 10:00 pm daily.

Intervals between the trains will be eight minutes during peak hours and 12 minutes during off-peak hours, including those time frames 6:00 am-8:00 am, 11:00 am-12:00 am, and 3:30 pm-6:00 p.

Operating times will be clearly posted at each station.

Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway No. 1 Company Limited will provide information about the metro line’s operation schedule and ticket prices on its website and mobile app.

Also on Thursday, the Ho Chi Minh city administration issued a decision on fares for the metro line rides, ranging from VND6,000 (US$0.2) to VND20,000 ($0.8) per trip.

Single-day tickets cost VND40,000 ($1.6) per passenger; three-day tickets, VND90,000 ($3.5); and monthly tickets, VND300,000 ($11.8).

Students will be given a 50-percent discount per monthly ticket.

The metro line is 19.7 kilometers long, including 2.6 kilometers of underground urban rail link and 17.1 kilometers of elevated track. It carries a price tag of VND43.7 trillion ($1.7 billion). 

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

Construction on the metro line began in 2012.

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