TRIALS at 100% of the design capacity of metro Line 1 in Ho Chi Minh City are underway as the Vietnamese city edges towards completion of its first metro line.
Trial operations had been taking place at 20% of the capacity of the 19.7km line, which runs from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien, since October 14. This was increased to 100% on November 11, with trains set to operate at intervals of 4min 30s to 11 minutes from 05.30 to 23.30 until November 18.
The October trials tested 47 different scenarios, ranging from normal operations to emergency situations
No opening date for the line has yet been officially announced, with reports suggesting that evaluation will take place after November 18 to decide the next phase of operations. Reports from earlier this year offered July as a possible date, but this target has slipped.
The Japanese government has financed 88% of the project. Construction of the line, which comprises a 17.1km elevated section with the remaining 2.6km running underground, started as long ago as 2012. The 17 three-car trains that will operate on Line 1 were ordered from Hitachi in 2013.
As well as rolling stock, Hitachi has supplied electrical and mechanical systems for the project along with signalling and telecommunications, platform screen doors, an automatic fare collection system, trackwork and depot facilities at a 21ha site at Long Binh. Japanese contractors partnered with Vietnamese firms to build the line.
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