Ground was
broken Tuesday for Viet Nam’s first metro system in Sai Gon.
Japan’s
Sumitomo and Cienco 6, a construction company belonging to the Transport
Ministry, will build the 12.2-mile route that will have 1.4 miles of track
and three stations underground.
The
project, expected to be completed in 2018, will link Ben Thanh Bus Station in
the heart of the city to Suoi Tien Theme Park on the border with Binh Duong
Province, passing through Districts 1, 2, 9, Binh Thanh, and Thu Duc and parts
of Binh Duong’s Di An District.
There
will be a station at Thao Dien, an emerging urban area in District 2.
The
metro has been in the works since 2005, but Le Hong Ha, deputy head of the
Sai Gon Urban Railway, told a news service that financial problems had
delayed it.
He
said it would become the main mode of public transport, replacing
buses that operate 5,000 trips on the route daily.
The
metro is expected to carry around 186,000 passengers a day initially,
620,000 by 2020, and more than 1 million in 2040.
A
train would leave Ben Thanh station every five minutes and take around half an
hour for the trip, Ha said.
Le
Hoang Quan, the city chairman, said at the groundbreaking ceremony
that the metro would reduce traffic jams, improve the transport network
and raise the quality of life for residents.
“Its
success will be important for the construction of later metro lines,” he said.
The city plans to have six lines in all, with Ha Noi adding eight.
The
Japan International Cooperation Agency will provide nearly $900 million
for the $3 billion project.
Yasuaki
Tanizaki, the Japanese ambassador to Viet Nam, said Japan is committed to
helping Sai Gon become a leading city in Southeast Asia.
