Ho Chi Minh City metro line adds more trips, extends operating hours on weekends

In particular, metro line No. 1 will now operate from 5:00 am daily.

On weekdays, service will continue until 10:00 pm as before. On Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, operating hours will be extended by one hour, until 11:00 pm.

Train intervals have also been improved. During peak hours, trains will run every six to eight minutes instead of the previous eight-minute interval.

During off-peak hours, the interval remains at 10-12 minutes.

The increased frequency is expected to reduce waiting times, especially during busy periods.

From August 16 until August 29, the number of trips will also rise, averaging 226 trips per weekday and 230 trips on weekends.

From September to the end of the year, the frequency will increase further to 243 weekday trips and 246 weekend trips.

On December 24 and 31, the metro will operate up to 264 trips per day and continue running until 11:00 pm to meet increased travel demand.

The full route remains unchanged, with 14 stations from Ben Thanh Station to Suoi Tien Coach Station, passing through key locations such as Opera House, Ba Son, Van Thanh, Tan Cang, Thao Dien, An Phu, High-Tech Park, and Vietnam National University stations.

Two parallel cashless payment systems are being employed for metro line No. 1: one using bank cards, e-wallets, and QR codes, and the other through smart card-based automatic fare collection.

These systems aim to offer passengers more convenient payment options, reduce ticket purchase time, and limit queues, contributing to improving public transport services and encouraging the shift from personal vehicles to metro use.

Metro line No. 1 stretches approximately 20 kilometers, from Ben Thanh Station in the city center to Suoi Tien Coach Station, covering 14 stations.

It includes 2.6 kilometers of underground rail and 17.1 kilometers of elevated track, built at a total cost of US$1.8 billion.

Construction on the metro line project began in 2012, and the line began commercial operations on December 22, 2024.

The line has 17 Japanese-manufactured trains with each being 62 meters long and able to carry 930 passengers, including 147 seating and 783 standing guests.

From early this year to July 18, the metro line operated 40,086 train trips, reaching 100.2 percent of its planned target, said a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway No. 1 Company Limited, the operator of the metro line.

The number of passengers reached nearly 10.4 million, exceeding the target by 133.5 percent.