Technicians, managers trained for operating Ho Chi Minh City's Metro Line No1

According to Akira Hosomi, operation and maintenance specialist of NJPT Contractors Consortium, Ho Chi Minh City’s Metro line No. 1 using Japanese technologies is the first project in Vietnam that Japanese experts have transferred the know-how to Vietnamese operators.

The first generation of trainees will act as the core human resources to support the development of the future urban railway system in Vietnam in general and in Ho Chi Minh City in particular, he said.

He said that the trainees will be equipped with sufficient knowledge, skills to safely and effectively operate and exploit the metro line as well as prepare for the next step of the project.

According to the Urban Railway Management Board, work on Metro Line No1 has been completed by 94.38%.

Metro Line No. 1, nearly 20km long, has a total investment of over 43.7 trillion VND (1.9 billion USD). It consists of 14 stations, three underground and 11 elevated, and runs through District 1, Binh Thanh district, Thu Duc City, and neighbouring Binh Duong province.

The train on this line can run at speeds of up to 110km per hour on the elevated section and 80km underground.

The project was initially scheduled for completion in late 2021 to run commercially in 2022, but then delays hit due to the pandemic and procedural problems.