Second metro tunnel in HCM City completed

The construction of the second tunnel of the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Line has been completed in HCM City, driving the project closer to completion.

The construction of the second tunnel of the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Line has been completed in HCM City, driving the project closer to completion.

   

Second metro tunnel completed

The first tunnel was completed on October 31, 2017, and the construction of the second tunnel which is 781 metres long was started almost immediately on January 26. The management board of HCM City Urban Railway and Japanese contractors, Shimizu-Maeda Joint Operation, held a completion ceremony beside the tunnel boring machine on June 29.

The second tunnel is 12 metres underground and runs from Ton Duc Thang Street to the city's Opera House, containing 3,900 wall cladding pieces. The second tunnel is much closer to the surface than the first so the construction workers had to be careful and adjusted their plan accordingly so building foundations would not be affected.

The contractor will continue installing the track, drainage and signal systems for both tunnels.

Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Project will cost an estimated USD2.49bn and runs for 19.7km. The metro line will run through District 1, 2, 9, Binh Thach and Thu Duc districts in HCM City as well as Di An District in Binh Duong Province. It includes a 2.6km underground section with three stations and 17.1km above the ground part with 11 stations.

Construction was started in August 2012 and is scheduled to be completed by late 2020.