User:Dragfyre/Sandbox/HCMC-Metro

The Ho Chi Minh City Metro is a proposed rapid transit network that will serve Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) in Vietnam. The network was first proposed in 2001 as part of a comprehensive public transport network plan including Ho Chi Minh City and neighbouring provinces, with the aim of avoiding the severe traffic congestion problems that have affected other Asian cities (such as nearby Bangkok). Most of the network is currently in the planning stages, with projects for different lines advancing as funds become available. The network's first line, connecting Bến Thành Market and Suoi Tien Park in District 9, is scheduled for completion in 2015, and a second line is due to begin construction in August 2010, scheduled for completion in 2016.

History
(how did it start, etc, a little about the old Saigon tram system would be nice too)

2001 network plan
According to the original master plan submitted in February 2001, the inner metro system would comprise the following routes, many of which have been adapted or superseded by the more recent 2007 plan. The plan was originally expected to cost USD 1.5 billion over 10 years, as part of a USD 3.35 billion program to build a rail network serving Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding provinces.


 * Priority lines

Three lines were considered a priority of the 2001 plan, two of them fully or partly underground and one fully elevated:


 * 1) A 7.5 km north-south line, partly underground and partly elevated, connecting Tan Son Nhat Airport and Bến Thành Market, via Hoa Hung in District 10;
 * 2) A 7 km east-west line, fully underground, connecting Bến Thành Market with Binh Tay Market in Cholon, similar to Line 3 of the 2007 plan;
 * 3) An 11 km southwest-northeast line, fully elevated, connecting Hoa Hung in District 10 to Binh Trieu in Thủ Đức District, following existing railway lines.

Proposed extensions to these lines included: extending the Tan Son Nhat line north to Quang Trung Software Park, eventually expanding further to the northwest and southwest to create a much longer 47 km line; extending the Binh Tay/Cholon line to form a circular "Inner Belt" Line, which would loop around the airport; and building a doubletrack elevated express line to extend the Hoa Hung-Binh Trieu line out to Bien Hoa.


 * Other lines

Other lines to be built according to the 2001 plan included a 27.5 km line connecting Bến Thành Market to Thủ Đức District, via Districts 2 and 9, similar to (but distinct from) Line 1 of the 2007 plan, and a 16 km line from Hoa Hung in District 10 to Binh Chanh District.

Several more inter-city rail lines were planned, including a Long Binh-Hoc Mon route, a Hoc Mon-Binh Chanh-Tien Giang route, a Thu Duc-Long Binh-Long Thanh-Vung Tau route and a Thu Thiem-Long Binh-Vung Tau route.

Technical specifications
The 2001 plan proposed the following technical parameters:
 * Platform length: 125 m
 * Average distance between stations 700 - 1,300 m
 * Maximum speed: 80 km/h
 * Headway: 4 min. (min. 2 min.)
 * Gauge: 1,435 mm
 * Vehicle width: 3 m

Network plan
The Ho Chi Minh City Metro project is managed by the city's Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR), a government unit working directly under the Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City. The most recent plan put forth by this unit calls for no less than six urban rail lines. The city’s transport development master plan to 2020 envisages developing three monorail or light rail lines with a total length of 37 km and six underground metro routes with a total length of 107 km. Bến Thành Market in District 1, already a major hub for bus traffic, will become a major hub connecting several lines.

Line 1
On April 10, 2007, the city government approved the USD 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 Suoi Tien Park and the terminus in Long Binh 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.

The construction of the elevated section, east of the Saigon River, is expected to begin in early 2010; site clearance is already underway, and work to build a USD 28 million depot in Long Binh for Line 1 began on February 21 2008. Tenders for construction were called for in 2008 and the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee instructed authorities to complete compensation and site clearance for the project by June 30, 2009. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation will provide USD 904.7 million to meet 83% of the cost, and the city government USD 186.6 million.

Completion of Line 1 is planned for 2015 ; 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, restrooms, subway doors and information bulletins accessible to the handicapped and visually impaired.

Line 2
Plans for the USD 1.2 billion Line 2 were submitted in November 2008 by MVA Asia Limited and approved by the government in December 2008. This line will include 11 stations stretching between Bến Thành Market and Tham Luong in District 12, following a route through Pham Hong Thai, Cach Mang Thang Tam and Truong Chinh streets. Out of the main section's total length of 11.3 km, 9.6 km will be underground. Major stations will include Truong Chinh (Tay Ninh Bus Station), near Tan Son Nhat Airport, and Hoa Hung, near Saigon Railway Station. An extension of Line 2 east of Bến Thành Market to Thu Thiem was originally proposed by MVA; this extension would bring the line's total length to 19 km.

The project's projected cost will be financed by the German Bank for Reconstruction, the Asian Development Bank and the European Investment Bank. In February 2008, the German government announced EUR 86 million of funding towards the project. The line is expected to begin construction in August 2010—starting with 25 hectare-wide Tham Luong Depot—and be completed in 2016.

Line 3
The third metro line would span the distance between Bến Thành Market to the east and An Lac in Binh Tan District to the west, passing through Districts 5 and 6—the area known as Cholon, or "Chinatown". Fewer details have emerged about the third line than the others, although the city's People's Committee is reported to have approached the French government for funding and support. A 2006 document suggested a possible extension of Line 3 north of Bến Thành Market to Thủ Đức District, although officials have yet to confirm whether this extension will be built.

Line 4
Spanish consulting company Ardanuy Ingenieria won a contract in October 2009 to provide a feasibility study of Line 4 of the six-line project. This line would stretch 16 km from Lang Cha Ca crossroad in Tan Binh District (near Tan Son Nhat Airport) to Van Thanh Park in Binh Thanh District.

Lines 5-6
On April 4, 2009, Spain's IDOM, Ingeniería, Arquitectura y Consultoría S.A. signed a contract with HCMC Urban Railway to provide a feasibility study for lines 5 (from Thu Thiem, District 2 to Can Giuoc, District 8 – 20 km) and 6 (Ba Queo, Tan Binh to Phu Lam, District 6 – 6 km). The study was to be completed within 12 months.

Other Lines
China Shanghai Corporation for Foreign Economic & Technological Cooperation (Sfeco) has carried out a pre-feasibility study for a 12 km Nguyen Oanh-Nguyen Van Linh Metro route, between Go Vap district and District 4. A 2006 document indicated that a subsidiary line connecting the line to Tan Son Nhat Airport and a southward extension to Nhà Bè District may have been considered.

Fares and ticketing
To encourage high ridership, fares on the Ho Chi Minh City Metro network will be set low, on the order of VND 2,500 (about USD 0.16). By comparison, bus fares within the city are generally VND 3,000. A common farecard, valid on both the metro network and bus network, will be made available as well.

Notes and references

 * References


 * Bibliography