The Chinese construction company behind the long-delayed project has recently called for the train line to officially open this April.
China Railway Sixth Group Co., Ltd. has suggested that the long testing period for the train route should come to an end in the coming month, and operations officially begin in the coming months, according to the Ministry of Transport.
VnExpress reports that the state-owned Chinese firm has been conducting tests since last September. Three to six months is the normal amount of time spent on trial runs. Some sections of the tracks, such as pathways and terminals, however, remain unfinished.
It has been an arduous journey for the metro line. In February 2017, it was announced that trial runs would begin in October of that year and that trains would be up and running by the first quarter of 2018. However, we all know how that turned out.
As the line was Vietnam’s first foray into metro construction when work began, progress has been marred by issues and scandals from the beginning. Apart from the aforementioned delays, the metro line also made news in the past due to accidents and ill-maintained tracks.
A graphic design student also called out the project for stealing his homemade design depicting the complete metro system. In December 2017, one of the trains was vandalized by graffiti while in storage. The perpetrator is still at large.
When the line eventually opens, metro rides will initially be free, until a fare of VND10,000 is adopted for trips of around five kilometers.
Ten trains will be used for daily transportation, each consisting of four carriages and capable of carrying up to 1,000 passengers. The cars are also equipped with two-way radios, enabling passengers to communicate with supervisors in times of emergency.
Authorities have also announced that tickets for the metro will be subsidized after public opinion polls revealed people thought prices should not be too much higher than those for buses.
