The reason why metro train No. 1 Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien had to make an emergency stop

During the initial operation of metro line 1 Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien, some problems arose due to weather and technical conditions, so the train had to make emergency stops to ensure passenger safety.

This content was shared by the investor of metro line 1 project Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien with the press at a meeting on January 17.

According to Mr. Phan Cong Bang - Head of the HCM City Urban Railway Management Board (MAUR), metro line No. 1 Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien officially operated from December 22, and after nearly a month has attracted the attention and support of a large number of people, especially on weekends.

"We are very excited to see people enthusiastically supporting Metro Line 1. However, in the initial period of operation, it is inevitable that there will be some problems due to weather and technical conditions," Mr. Phan Cong Bang shared.

Mr. Phan Cong Bang - Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board. Photo: TK.

MAUR leaders said that the electromechanical equipment system, signal information, locomotive and wagon control equipment... are items in package 3 implemented by Hitachi (Japan). The contract was signed in 2013 but installation will only begin at the end of 2020.

These items are manufactured and installed according to Japanese standards, but in Vietnam there are no standards for urban railways. After more than 4 years, under the impact of hot and humid weather and high fine dust in the air like in Ho Chi Minh City, when put into operation, there are certain errors such as some platform barrier door equipment is not yet optimally completed.

"We have previously assessed this issue during the trial operation, and the acceptance was also carried out conditionally for the contractor," Mr. Bang said, adding that all errors related to the barrier gate signal system will be fixed before March 30.

Metro Line 1 Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien attracts visitors. Photo: TK.

Returning to the lightning strike on the afternoon of December 27 at Tan Cang station, causing the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line No. 1 to temporarily stop operating, Mr. Bang said that at that time, there were 2 options after being struck by lightning: automatically restoring operation or checking the entire electrical system before operating manually.

"The operations can be automatically restored, but because it is in the early stages of exploitation, we chose to switch to manual mode as recommended by the Japanese consultant and contractor. This takes more time and disrupts operations," the MAUR leader emphasized.

According to Mr. Bang, in some countries, there were some errors in the first days of metro operation, and it takes more time to operate smoothly and suit actual conditions, so he hopes passengers will share.

In the coming time, MAUR will continue to closely coordinate with relevant units to carefully check and evaluate each system error, committing to thoroughly fix it within a maximum of 6 months from the time of knowing about the system error.

"Every time the train stops due to an incident, we feel very worried. The team members always try to find a way to handle it immediately and come up with a solution to completely overcome the situation," Mr. Bang added.

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