HCMC metro station lacks emergency exits before opening

Ben Thanh Station, the central station of HCMC’s nearly-completed first metro line, still lacks emergency exits due to the delayed construction of a connected skyscraper.

The HCMC Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR), the main investor of the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien metro line, has proposed to the municipal Department of Construction to find ways to resolve the issue as the project is expected to be completed at the end of the year.

The Ben Thanh Station is the HCMC metro line’s main station. It will be connected with the entrances and exits of a neighboring skyscraper that’s currently under construction.

But as the station’s emergency exits are slated to be a part of the skyscraper construction, they have not been built because as the tower’s completion has been delayed until 2025.

Certain measures to resolve the issue have been proposed by the NJPT Association, a consultant for the metro line. They include making temporary emergency exits, which is the most practical option given the current circumstances.

The station and the skyscraper are part of the Ben Thanh quadrilateral area project, located opposite of the Ben Thanh market. The structure, with an initial investment of $500 million, will include two connected towers: one with 55 floors and the other with 48 floors. They will contain offices, hotels and apartments.

The Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien metro line is now 95% completed. At a total cost of over VND43.7 trillion ($1.85 billion), it spans 20 km from the Ben Thanh Station to the Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City. Once opened, it will have three underground stations and 11 elevated ones.

By Gia Minh – VnExpress.net – June 17, 2023