This morning, December 22, metro line No. 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) will officially come into operation, marking a historic milestone in the journey of urban transport development in Ho Chi Minh City.
Delegates experience and visit metro line 1 on the morning of December 22 - Photo: QUANG DINH
At 7:40 a.m., the official inauguration ceremony of Metro Line 1 began. Attending the ceremony were representatives of ministries, departments in Vietnam, the Japanese embassy and consulate general. On the local side, there were Secretary of the City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai, Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board Phan Cong Bang... and many people.
At 8:30 a.m. on December 22, leaders and delegates visited and experienced metro line 1 - Photo: QUANG DINH
Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam ITO Naoki experiences metro line 1 - Photo: QUANG DINH
Secretary Nguyen Van Nen talks with Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam ITO Naoki - Photo: QUANG DINH
Mr. Phan Cong Bang - Head of Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board - speaking - Photo: QUANG DINH
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Phan Cong Bang - Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board - said that the No. 1 urban railway project has been 100% completed and officially put into operation today.
The project implementation process has received strong attention and direction from central and city leaders, the coordination of departments and branches, the support of Japan and the people.
In particular, Mr. Bang especially thanked the people affected by the project for sharing so that the project could be completed and put into operation.
Mr. Bang said that in the coming time, the City Urban Railway Management Board is committed to implementing the next urban railway projects with high determination and innovative breakthroughs, contributing to building a green, sustainable, civilized and modern transport system.
Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam ITO Naoki - Photo: QUANG DINH
Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam ITO Naoki also said that this urban railway line will significantly change people's lives. Line 1 connects areas with high transportation demand, and there will be a big shift in people's travel methods from cars and motorbikes to urban railways.
Mr. ITO Naoki added that in the "new era" as General Secretary To Lam has proposed with the goal of achieving high economic growth focusing on key areas such as strategic infrastructure, digital transformation, green transformation and high-quality human resource development, he believes that Vietnam will have more opportunities to cooperate with foreign enterprises.
The success of metro line 1 will be a lever to develop other projects and works. "Congratulations to all of you," said Mr. ITO Naoki in Vietnamese.
Speaking at the program, Mr. Bui Xuan Cuong - Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee - on behalf of Ho Chi Minh City leaders expressed his joy when urban railway line No. 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) was officially put into operation.
Mr. Cuong said this is an important milestone in the development of public transport in Ho Chi Minh City.
Metro Line 1 is not only a modern project but also a symbol of the growth and aspiration of Ho Chi Minh City. The project marks a milestone in realizing the public transport system, reducing traffic pressure and environmental pollution.
"This journey is not only proof of the persistent efforts of the city government but also demonstrates the effective cooperation between the Vietnamese Government and the Japanese Government," said Mr. Cuong.
On behalf of the city's leaders, Mr. Cuong expressed his deep gratitude to the leaders of the Central Government, neighboring countries, ministries, Ho Chi Minh City, experts, engineers, consultants, workers...
Mr. Cuong especially acknowledged the people's contributions, consensus, support, and sympathy for the inconveniences so that the city could have the conditions to build and operate the project.
At the same time, Mr. Cuong believes that Metro Line 1 will become a symbol of modernity, connecting with the lives of people and tourists. In the next phase, Ho Chi Minh City will focus on investing in the synchronous development of the urban railway network, developing the TOD model to build Ho Chi Minh City into a modern, civilized, and humane city.
Continuing his speech at the ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Minh Vu - Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs - said that the relationship between Vietnam and Japan has been continuously developing well. Metro Line No. 1 has an important and symbolic meaning in the development cooperation between Vietnam and Japan.
Mr. Vu believes that the railway will be operated smoothly and effectively, contributing positively to the completion of infrastructure, bringing a new look, enhancing urban connectivity, and improving the quality of life for people.
This will open up many new experiences and opportunities for the two countries to continue cooperating in infrastructure development in the future.
Lieutenant General Le Hong Nam - Director of Ho Chi Minh City Police and Mr. Mai Huu Quyet - Vice Chairman of Thu Duc City People's Committee are reading Tuoi Tre newspaper while traveling by train - Photo: CHAU TUAN
Many city residents welcomed the opening event of metro line 1 from early morning.
Earlier, from early morning, a large number of people were present at Ben Thanh station to welcome this special event. Many delegates representing ministries and Ho Chi Minh City were also present at Ben Thanh station to participate in the event, creating a bustling atmosphere.
Consul General of Japan (second from left) - Photo: HUU HANH
Secretary Nguyen Van Nen talks with Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu - Photo: QUANG DINH
Scene before the official opening ceremony of metro line 1 - Photo: QUANG DINH
Previously, from 5:30 a.m., Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong, a former navy soldier, was present at Ben Thanh station (District 1) to attend the official operation ceremony of metro line 1.
Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong (sitting on the far left) and his teammates attended the ceremony - Photo: CHAU TUAN
Present this morning, Mr. Cuong said he was very happy and proud that on the Traditional Day of the Vietnam People's Army, he could witness a key project of the city come into operation.
He was very moved that after 50 years of unification, Ho Chi Minh City in particular and the country in general have had remarkable developments.
"We used to be soldiers, now we are citizens of the city, very proud and excited. From the No. 1 railway line will create a stepping stone for the city to strongly develop the railway network. These projects will contribute to bringing the city into the era of national development."
Some photos at the official operation ceremony of metro line 1:
Official operation ceremony of metro line 1 - Photo: QUANG DINH
People experience and visit metro line 1 - Photo: QUANG DINH
Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen and Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai (fourth and fifth from left) attended the official operation ceremony of metro line No. 1 - Photo: HUU HANH
Vice Chairman of the People's Committee Bui Xuan Cuong (left) attended the official opening ceremony of metro line 1 - Photo: HUU HANH
City leaders attend the ceremony - Photo: HUU HANH
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board (investor), the official operation ceremony of metro line 1 will start from 7-10am on December 22.
After representatives of ministries, leaders of Ho Chi Minh City, investors... speak and announce the operating ceremony, all delegates and many people will become the first special guests to ride metro line No. 1 with the entire Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien route of about 19km.
At exactly 10am the same day, all 14 stations of Metro Line 1 will open to welcome people. At the same time, 17 new electric bus routes will also be on the road, taking people from everywhere directly to the stations and vice versa.
Metro line No. 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) runs along Hanoi highway, Vo Nguyen Giap - Photo: CHAU TUAN
Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online , Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board Phan Cong Bang said: "The commercial operation of Metro Line No. 1 not only marks the beginning of the Ho Chi Minh City metro system, but is also an important stepping stone for the construction of subsequent urban railway lines, towards building a green, sustainable, civilized and modern transport system."
"Up to now, the competent authority has agreed with the acceptance results for metro line 1 to officially operate. This is a great happiness for me as well as the collective of the Urban Railway Management Board, the operating unit.
I would like to thank the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City and the departments for their support during the project's implementation and completion.
This is an opportunity to review and accumulate valuable experience from metro line 1 and is a stepping stone to implement the remaining projects according to the urban railway development plan that has been reported to the competent authorities by Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
It is expected that in the next 10 years, we will complete the project's goals, contributing to creating new modes of transport, limiting private vehicles, and effectively exploiting TOD (urban development model associated with public transport - PV) ", Mr. Bang said.
From 10am today, people can start experiencing metro line 1 for free for 1 month - Photo: CHAU TUAN
Initially, metro line 1 runs from 5am to 10pm every day, with the first trip departing at 5am and the last trip at 10pm with 9 trains.
Each train can carry up to 930 people (including 147 seats and 783 standing places). The interval between each trip is 8-12 minutes, with a total of 200 trips per day.
The speed of the train when running on the elevated track is 110km/h and 80km/h on the underground section. The travel time from Ben Thanh station to Suoi Tien bus station is 29 minutes.
How to buy tickets for metro line 1
From December 22, 2024 to January 20, 2025, people will be exempted from paying for metro line 1 tickets for the first 30 days of commercial operation. People can get train tickets in the following ways: From December 22, 2024 to January 9 , 2025: People use EMV Mastercard cards to scan at the ticket gate, those who do not have a card will be issued free cards at 14 stations. From January 10 to 20, 2025: People can use chip-embedded citizen identification cards, ID cards, bank cards, EMV cards of domestic and foreign organizations such as Mastercard, Visa, JCB, AMEX, UPI, Napas or QR Code via the HCMC metro application to take the train. Currently, the implementation of the electronic ticket system for cashless payment on metro line 1 is being accelerated. Vikki is the first digital bank to connect the automatic train ticket payment system with the cashless card payment system. Accordingly, Vikki will cooperate with the international card organization Mastercard to issue VikkiGO cards. In addition, at the station, this unit has arranged a counter and provided 30,000 anonymous VikkiGO Mastercard cards for free so that people can take the train.Tuoitre.vn
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tau-dien-metro-so-1-chinh-thuc-van-hanh-o-tp-hcm-20241221223413199.htm#content-18
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