HCMC – Work on HCMC’s Metro Line No. 1 connecting Ben Thanh Market and Suoi Tien Theme Park could be completed in the last quarter of this year.

The HCMC government asked the project contractor to fulfill its warranty obligations and to provide technical support during the operation of the urban rail line between 2024 and 2028.

The city tasked the Management Authority for Urban Railways to work closely with relevant agencies to address the route’s financial issues.

The 19.7-kilometer line, which started construction in August 2012, costs VND43,700 billion.

There are 14 stations along the route, with three of them underground. The project is now 94% complete.

The city previously recommended the Ministry of Finance eliminate obstacles in capital allocation for the operation of the HCMC Urban Railway No. 1 Co. Ltd. (HURC1), the metro line operator.

Given prolonged financial constraints, the cash-strapped company has been with little or no money to operate.

The number of employees needed for the metro line’s operations is 706, but 21 of HURC1’s current 36 staffers have quit their jobs since August 2021.