Metro Saigon I MRT Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien I 11/2016

On April 10, 2007, the city government approved the US$1.1 billion Line 1. It will run for 19.7 km from Bến Thành Market, underground for 2.6 km past the Opera House, Ba Son Shipyard, and then cross the Saigon River on an elevated track, passing through District 2 on the way to Suối Tiên Park and the terminus in Long Bình in District 9. In all, Line 1 will include 14 stations, with three of these (Ben Thanh, the Opera House and Ba Son) being underground.
Work to build a US$28 million depot in Long Binh for Line 1 began on February 21, 2008.Construction of the elevated section, east of the Saigon River, started in August 2012. The contract for the 3-station underground segment was to follow shortly after. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation will provide US$904.7 million to meet 83% of the cost, and the city government US$186.6 million.
Completion of Line 1 was originally planned for early 2018, but is now planned for 2020.[1] Planners expect the route to serve more than 160,000 passengers daily upon launch, increasing to 635,000 by 2030 and 800,000 by 2040. All stations along the route are expected to accommodate the disabled, with automatic ticket vending machines, telephone booths, rest rooms, subway doors and information bulletins accessible to the handicapped and visually impaired.
Unfortunately, as the basic systems engineering such as Requirements Management, Systems Assurance and the pre-requisite transverse engineering studies of noise and vibration, stray current mitigation, earthing and bonding have not been undertaken by the Japanese consultants or Japanese contractors, the Technical Designs of the Japanese contractors cannot be completed or approved.
VIETNAM: Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways has selected a consortium of Shimizu and Maeda Corp to build the underground section of metro Line 1.
The 2.6km underground section of Line 1 will run from Ben Thanh Market to Ba Son Shipyard with three stations. Work is divided into two packages. Package 1B covers the section from Opera House to Ba Son, including a four-level station at a depth of 40m at the intersection of Nguyen Hue and Le Loi boulevards. The station is planned for completion in April 2015, with track laying due to finish in March 2019.