Ho Chi Minh City's first metro line began its official service on Sunday morning, operating up to 200 daily train trips.

The launch of the metro line, which stretches from Ben Thanh Station in District 1 to Suoi Tien Coach Station in Thu Duc City, a district-level unit of Ho Chi Minh City, marked a significant milestone 12 years after construction began.

All 14 stations of the metro line officially opened to the public at 10:00 am.

Vu Minh Huyen, deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways, the project’s investor, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that employees and volunteers were stationed at the metro stations early in the morning to guide residents on how to use the new service.

During the initial operation, nine metro trains, ​​each capable of carrying 930 passengers, were set to operate daily from 5:00 am to 10:00 pm.

Every trip takes nearly 30 minutes, plus the stop time at each station of about 30 seconds.

The interval between two trips is from eight to 12 minutes, so the metro line can serve 200 train trips each day.

Trains run at 110 kilometers per hour above the ground and 80 kilometers per hour underground.

According to a representative of the municipal Public Transportation Management Center, 150 electric buses plying 17 feeder bus routes are operating concurrently with the metro line to help residents conveniently access metro stations.

During the first month of its service, passengers can ride the metro for free, along with the 17 feeder bus routes.

On Sunday morning, the first metro line’s stations were flooded with eager residents, all hoping to be among the first passengers to experience the new mode of public transportation in the southern metropolis.

The large crowds caused congestion at the stations.

At Ben Thanh Underground Station in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, around 300 residents were waiting to board early in the morning.

Excited to take the metro ride, many of them took the opportunity to snap photos with the station and the train.

An Phu Station was full of people at 10:30 am. 

Despite joining long queues at the station, child passengers were excited and looked forward to riding the metro train. 

Phan Cong Bang, head of the municipal Management Authority for Urban Railways, told Tuoi Tre on a metro train that the official launch of the line was a big event, so it would draw much attention from residents.

Starting from today, the metro line will serve passengers for free for 30 days, he said.

To have a comfortable ride, residents should choose an appropriate time in the next few days to enjoy metro trips, rather than on the first days of its launch.

“Free rides are available for 30 days, while the metro line operates up to 200 daily trips with a frequency of five to 10 minutes, so residents can leisurely experience a ride,” Bang said.

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

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

The first metro line project was launched in 2006, and its construction began in 2012.

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