Much excite!
Tuoi Tre reports that yesterday, the first train for Saigon's Suoi Tien-Ben Thanh metro line arrived at the Khanh Hoi Port in District 4 following an eight-day journey from Japan.
The ship carrying the train cars docked in the city around 8am on Thursday after reaching the maritime area off Vung Tau earlier in the day. It was then guided into Saigon by the First Zone Maritime Pilotage Company.
The carriages were unloaded onto special oversize trucks operated by Gemadept Logistics Company, and will be brought to the metro line's Long Binh Depot in District 9 from District 4 late tonight in order to avoid traffic.
According to the news source, the train will be unloaded onto the rail line tomorrow morning, while test runs will follow at some point in the near future. Initial trial runs will operate from Long Binh to the Binh Thai Intersection, with tests eventually extending further down the line toward District 1.
Sixteen more trains will be shipped from Japan to Saigon in the coming months, equaling a total of 51 carriages. Each train can carry up to 930 passengers, while the metro line is currently expected to go into operation in late 2021 after years of delay.
[Photo by Quốc Hùng via SGGP]
