Monday (December 23, 2024) is a special day for many passengers on metro line 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, the first day many people go to school and work by train. It is not only a change of means of transport but also the first day with a new habit.
A new day, a new week is more exciting with a traffic-free morning and a relaxing, enjoyable journey.
Fast as... metro
The morning of December 23 was a very special day for Mr. Quoc Nhat (29 years old, office worker, Di An City, Binh Duong), he switched from using a motorbike to go to work to taking the metro. Mr. Nhat lives in Di An City, bordering Thu Duc City, and works for a company in District 1 (700m from Ben Thanh Station). For nearly ten years, five days a week, he has traveled more than 40km/day by motorbike.
"I was excited to wake up at 5:30 a.m. on Monday morning to get ready for the metro. There is a new electric bus line running across my house, so it's very convenient. Missing a bus, I decided to ride my motorbike to the National University station (opposite the gate of Suoi Tien Tourist Area). The motorbike parking fee from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. is only 4,000 VND.
At 6:15, I arrived at the train station, about 5 minutes later the train arrived. Maybe it was early in the morning and it was the second station (counting from Suoi Tien station, the new Mien Dong bus station), so the train was still sparsely populated. I met a group of passengers from Bien Hoa (Dong Nai).
Everyone rode bicycles to Suoi Tien station, both for morning exercise and to experience the train ride. Two elderly people said they left Ben Thanh station at 5am, got off at Suoi Tien station (and returned) to experience the train and watch the city's sunrise through the glass window.
19km but less than half an hour. I didn't have to strain myself with a motorbike, no dust, no fear of traffic jams. The first trip was very comfortable, the metro route was close to my house and company so it was very convenient. The train ran smoothly, I listened to music and watched the scenery along Hanoi Highway, Vo Nguyen Giap Street, Thu Duc Water Plant... from above. When passing through intersections and the Saigon River, I really enjoyed it."
Mr. Nhat expressed his wish that train stations would soon have automatic beverage kiosks. "From now on, I will go to work by metro. I have prepared an umbrella, put it in my backpack in case it rains. This morning, walking from Ben Thanh station to the company, my smart watch counted my steps, it really killed two birds with one stone. I told my colleagues: with metro line 1, my life is like turning a new page," Mr. Nhat happily said.
The way from home to school is shorter
Thanks to the metro, the commute time for many students who live far from school has also been shortened. Since the beginning of this week, Nguyen Mai Nhi (20 years old, living in Thu Duc City), a second-year student at a university in District 4, has started going to school by metro.
Nhi said her house is in Vinhomes Grand Park (Thu Duc), more than 20km from school. Before the metro, she took the connecting bus every day, and some days she went to school by ride-hailing. There were many buses, and some days she got to class early in the morning, so Nhi woke up at 4am to get ready to go to school on time. This morning, the metro was available, so Nhi arrived at school earlier than usual.
From the apartment, Nhi was taken by free shuttle bus to the new Mien Dong bus station. "I heard that this shuttle bus route is only free at first, then students will be charged 3,000 VND/trip. However, the price is still very reasonable.
Sitting on the train, Mai Nhi took out her book to review English vocabulary. The train soon arrived at Ben Thanh station. She leisurely admired the scenery of Ben Thanh market and watched the morning crowd. It took just over 40 minutes from leaving home to getting off at Ben Thanh station.
Nhi then took a ride-hailing car to school for the remaining distance of about 1km. Today, the time to get to school was cut in half, thanks to metro line 1.
On the same train with Nhi, Zhang Yao Ying (18 years old, living in Tan Phu district) said she had just traveled from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Thu Duc to Ben Thanh by metro, preparing to walk to the school's District 1 campus on Dinh Tien Hoang street (District 1).
Yao Ying said that her first metro ride was a great experience. Yao Ying was impressed with the station design and space on the train, the dedicated guidance of the metro staff and the support volunteers. Most importantly, the route of this metro line passes through many important points, convenient for many activities.
According to Yao Ying, she often goes down to the Thu Duc campus to participate in team activities, sports, etc. Because the distance between the two campuses is quite far, nearly 20km, she often has to go by bus, which takes about 1.5 hours. Now that there is a metro, traveling between the two campuses has become much less tiring for students like Yao Ying.
Want to experience the metro, don't rush!
This is a joint recommendation from the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board (investor) and Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Company No. 1 (operating unit) to people in the first days of operation of metro No. 1. This is to help avoid overloading at stations (like the first day of operation) and to help people have the most comfortable and convenient trip.
According to the operating unit, compared to the first day of official operation, today is "easier to breathe". At the stations, especially Ben Thanh station, it is no longer as crowded as the first day. However, the unit still mobilizes maximum staff and volunteers to the stations to support and guide people to get acquainted with the metro. According to the metro schedule, the first time is from 5am to 10pm every day, the first trip departs at 5am, and the last trip is at 10pm.
Each train can carry up to 930 people (including 147 seats and 783 standing places). The interval between trips is 8 - 12 minutes, with a total of 200 trips per day. The speed when the train runs on the elevated track is 110km/h and 80km/h on the underground section. The travel time from Ben Thanh station to Suoi Tien station is 29 minutes... and especially the free travel period lasts up to 30 days, so people can leisurely experience it, avoiding overcrowding and jostling.
On the first day of operation of metro line 1 (December 22), from 10am to 10pm, metro line 1 ran 177 trips, transporting 150,000 passengers. On the second day (December 23), from 5am to 4pm, the train ran 124 trips with 14,000 passengers and this number will continue to increase in the evening. The number of passengers traveling on 17 electric bus routes connecting to the metro on the first day was nearly 6,000, on the second day (as of 5:30pm) was 4,000 passengers. This shows the strong support of Ho Chi Minh City residents and tourists for the city's first tram line.
Mr. Pham Vuong Bao - Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center - said that in addition to 17 electric bus routes directly connecting metro stations to important areas, many bus routes have adjusted their operating hours and routes to better serve people's travel needs. Bus stops near metro stations have also been upgraded, with clear signs installed to help people easily switch from metro to bus and vice versa.
Besides the bus, what other means of transport can I take to the station?
A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Public Transport Management Center said that there are 45 public bicycle stations in District 1 located around train stations and equipped with electric bicycles to increase convenience for people.
In the area of 3 underground stations (Ben Thanh, City Theater, Ba Son), the four-wheeled electric car will operate flexibly in terms of route and time, based on the needs of customers to reduce travel costs. Ticket prices in this area range from 5,000 - 10,000 VND/trip.
At the same time, the city's public transport system including metro line 1, buses, river buses and open-top double-decker buses has been integrated into the Gobus application, making it easy for passengers to look up information and choose convenient routes.
17 bus routes connect to the stations with 150 electric cars picking up and dropping off passengers from 5am to 10pm daily, synchronized with metro running times and currently free of charge.
After that, one-way tickets are from 5,000 to 7,000 VND/ticket depending on the route distance; practice tickets are 75% of the one-way ticket price; tickets for students are 3,000 VND/ticket; free tickets for children, people with disabilities, and the elderly aged 70 years and older.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/di-lam-di-hoc-cung-metro-toi-da-thoat-canh-ket-xe-20241223224845474.htm
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