HANOI, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's southern hub Ho Chi Minh City will start construction of a new metro line on Dec. 19 this year, with total investment exceeding 86.65 trillion Vietnamese dong (about 3.3 billion U.S. dollars), local daily VnEconomy reported Monday.
The Ben Thanh-Can Gio metro line, stretching about 53 km, will run through eight communes and wards.
The double-track, standard-gauge line is expected to handle more than 43,600 passengers a day and has a design top speed of 350 km/h.
The project is slated to begin commercial operations in 2028. ■
