A test run on an elevated section of Ho Chi Minh City’s Metro Line No. 1 was officially conducted on December 21, the city’s Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) has said.

The pilot run was conducted on a section stretching nearly 9 km, starting from Suoi Tien Bus Station and passing by the Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City, the Hi-tech Zone Station, and Thu Duc Station before arriving at Binh Thai Station.

The line has 17 Japanese-made trains, each with a capacity of 930 passengers and a speed of up to 110 km/h above ground and 80 km/h underground.

All of the trains have been tested at Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc city since August.

Work began on the city’s first metro route in August 2012, and completion was scheduled for within six years. It missed several deadlines, however, and the latest rescheduling has it becoming operational in the fourth quarter of next year.

Some 93.56 per cent of work has now been completed.

Metro Line No. 1 is expected to cost over VND43.7 trillion ($1.89 billion), funded with Japanese assistance and reciprocal capital from Vietnam.