In their latest document sent to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, the Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR), the project’s investor, said that they were finalising the work and would carry out the final trial runs by the end of September. They expect to put the line into commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Explaining the delay, MAUR said that they have yet to complete the safety evaluation and staff training. MAUR had to also wait for an appraisal and inspection process.
Work on the 19.70-kilometre-long metro line started in 2012 at a total cost of VND43.70 trillion (USD1.77 billion).
The line has 17 trains, each consisting of three carriages and is designed to run at up to 110 kilometres per hour above ground and 80 kilometres per hour underground.
It was first scheduled to be put into operation in 2017 but then has been delayed four times.
