Proposal to assign Ho Chi Minh City to work with Dong Nai to unify the managing agency of the railway project

(DN) - To ensure consistency and synchronization in construction, operation and maximum exploitation of land funds around the project area, the Ministry of Construction proposed that the Prime Minister assign the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to preside over the work, agree with the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee to assign the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee as the competent authority of the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh Railway Project as the basis for reporting to the Prime Minister for decision.

This is one of the recommendations of the Ministry of Construction in Official Dispatch No. 8290/BXD-KHTC (dated August 13, 2025) sent to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on the study and implementation of the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh Railway Project connecting with Long Thanh International Airport.

Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway is about 42km long. Illustrative photo

85-90% of travel demand on the route is from domestic to suburban passengers.

In Document No. 8290, the Ministry of Construction said that, based on the synthesis of opinions from relevant ministries, branches and localities and the implementation of Resolution No. 81/2023/QH15 dated January 9, 2023 of the National Assembly on the approval of the National Master Plan for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, the Ministry of Construction has completed the dossier to adjust the Railway Network Planning and is expected to submit it to the Prime Minister in December 2025. Accordingly, for the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line, the expected travel demand on the route is mainly domestic - suburban passengers. Specifically, it is estimated that by 2050, domestic - suburban passengers will account for about 85-90% of travel demand on the route. “The total number of trips on the route is about 136 million passengers/year, of which, intra-suburban trips are about 116-122 million passengers/year,” the document of the Ministry of Construction stated.

The Thu Thiem - Long Thanh Railway Project is being studied for implementation as an urban railway line, approximately 42km long, designed as a double track, 1,435mm gauge, designed speed of 120km/h with 20 stations, transporting passengers in and out of Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai province to Long Thanh Airport. The project has a total preliminary investment of nearly 3.4 billion USD. On April 29, 2025, the Provincial People's Council approved Resolution No. 28/NQ-HDND on agreeing to the policy of assigning the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee as the competent authority to implement the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh Railway Project.

Therefore, the Ministry of Construction proposed to adjust the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh Railway Project from national railway to urban railway. According to the pre-feasibility study report of the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway, the project is designed according to urban railway standards, after investment, it will be handed over to local management.

Regarding the railway connection plan between Tan Son Nhat Airport and Long Thanh Airport, the Ministry of Construction said that the transport of passengers by rail from Tan Son Nhat Airport to Long Thanh Airport is organized through the connection of the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line with two urban railway lines: Urban railway line No. 6 connecting the infrastructure in the area of Phu Huu station; urban railway line No. 2 in the Thu Thiem station area to Tan Son Nhat Airport. Currently, urban railway lines No. 2, 6 and Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line are railway lines identified in the planning of Ho Chi Minh City and the planning of the railway network. Therefore, to ensure smooth exploitation, the projects need synchronous investment (time, technology, exploitation organization).

Choose the appropriate form and source of investment capital

According to the Ministry of Construction, according to Clause 1, Article 30 of the Law on Public Investment, the assignment of the competent authority for the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh Railway Project is under the authority of the Prime Minister.

The Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway connects Tan Son Nhat Airport with Long Thanh Airport via Ho Chi Minh City's urban railway lines No. 2 and No. 6. Photo: Pham Tung

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has proposed that the Government consider approving the addition of the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line to the list of projects attached to Resolution No. 188/2025/QH15 dated February 19, 2025 of the National Assembly to pilot a number of specific and special mechanisms and policies to develop the urban railway network system in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

In case the project is transferred to the locality for implementation, the study of investment in the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line will be considered on the basis of combining urban development according to the TOD model (urban development according to the orientation of public transport development). From there, the project area will have more solutions to mobilize capital sources (local budget, private capital, etc.), at the same time attracting interested investors to participate in order to compare and choose a more suitable form of investment and source of investment capital.

The Ministry of Construction also proposed that, in case it is assigned as the project management agency, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee will receive all existing research results of the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh Railway Project to continue to carry out investment preparation and implementation. At the same time, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee is allowed to study and add this railway line to the city's urban railway planning and propose the Government to consider and approve adding the project to the city's urban railway project list attached to Resolution No. 188/2025/QH15.

Pham Tung

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/kinh-te/202508/de-xuat-giao-thanh-pho-ho-chi-minh-lam-viec-voi-dong-nai-de-thong-nhat-co-quan-chu-quan-du-an-duong-sat-a5906c4/