The Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien route is just a short 20km stretch within a large city and cannot fundamentally solve the problem of public passenger transportation. However, many lessons can certainly be learned from this project.
So, after 17 long years, on the morning of December 22nd, the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien metro line in Ho Chi Minh City officially began operating. Thousands of people crowded together, queuing from early morning to board the train, which speaks volumes about their long-awaited anticipation.
People in Ho Chi Minh City crowded together to experience the first metro ride on December 22nd.
However, it's important to recognize that the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien line is only a short 20km stretch within a city boasting over 4,000km of transportation infrastructure; it cannot fundamentally solve the problem of public passenger transport for the city.
But from the implementation of this project, the government and relevant agencies have certainly learned important lessons to use as experience when developing subsequent routes.
It is evident that throughout the 17 years of implementing the Metro Line 1 project, many issues have arisen, such as land clearance, relocation of underground obstacles, changes in technical specifications based on actual conditions at the construction site, and contractual procedures.
All these experiences are valuable lessons for the future. Notably, they emphasize the importance of preparing a clean site, ensuring all legal aspects are in order, having a solid contract, and maintaining autonomy.
In particular, the preparation of human resources to operate the project and receive technology transfer is crucial. In this case, the Japanese side has been very dedicated to transferring technology for metro construction and operation, helping us train technical personnel so that we can be self-reliant in building sustainable infrastructure. This is very significant as Vietnam continues to implement other metro lines.
Another lesson emerging is the development of the TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) model along metro stations. This not only helps urban residents change their habits of limiting private vehicles in favor of public transport, reducing pressure on urban infrastructure, but also creates new urban areas that serve as drivers of development.
However, so far along metro line 1, TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) remains only an idea. The connection of stations to bus routes is still minimal in terms of transportation function. Developing TOD still has a long way to go.
To change people's commuting habits, a metro system alone is not enough. Along with new infrastructure, the government also needs a sustained communication program to encourage people to reduce the use of private vehicles and use public transportation. This should be accompanied by creating convenient parking options at stations – especially suburban stations – allowing passengers to park their cars and motorbikes at reasonable prices before boarding the metro or buses to the city center.
Looking at the world , we see that developed countries all have good transportation infrastructure and a high level of social awareness among their citizens. They choose public transportation to reduce pressure on social infrastructure, protect the environment, and conserve resources.
We haven't reached that point yet, but it's entirely possible if we both accumulate resources to invest in improving infrastructure and implement communication policies to change public perception and encourage people to support and choose public transportation.
Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/bai-hoc-tu-metro-ben-thanh-suoi-tien-192241222162618146.htm
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