A peek inside HCMC’s first metro train

The three-car train is placed on to the T1 metro track at Long Binh Depot in District 9 on Tuesday morning.
Each car is 21 m long, 3 m wide and 3 m high, weighs 37 tons and made of aluminum alloy. They were transported from Japan to Khanh Hoi Port in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 4 last Thursday.

The interior is designed with two rows of seats and has a total of 783 handgrips for standing passengers. Each handle is about 0.4 m apart.
White and blue are the main color palettes.

Priority seating areas for the elderly, pregnant mothers and the disabled.
Every three-car train has 147 seats and can carry 930 passengers.
Seats share the same blue color like the exterior and are made of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP), making it easy to clean. The back of the seat has a slope suitable for passengers to sit comfortably.

Each row of seats has a fire extinguisher placed underneath.

An alarm system and a box containing a hammer, flashlight and other emergency equipment is beside the entrance.

Each car has electronic signages to notify and help passengers navigate.
The 19.7-km metro route No.1 runs from from Ben Thanh Market in District 1 to Suoi Tien theme park in District 9.

Cockpits are at both ends of the train.
Data loggers monitor and record operation information, including speed and control.

The siren system is attached beneath the train.

The train's wheels feature a track gauge of 1.4 m.
The first train will move at speeds of 110 kph on the elevated section and 80 kph inside the tunnel.

Japanese staff wait inside the train.
The train has the metro's route logo in front.

The hull is made of aluminum alloy.
There is a transceiver controlling the carriage above each car.
The shipping of the remaining 48 cars for the line will depend on the pilot run of the first three but it is expected that most of them will be delivered mid 2021.
The testing in depot is carried out from now until the end of the year, then commissioned and then transferred to the main line.
Finally, the train will be tested underground between stations in District 1 to ensure operation by the end of 2021.