What do you see from the proposal of the Private Economic Group to build the LRT route from Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh?

Japan continues spectacular success, Denmark rushes to operate LRT 2025

In September 2024, more than a year after its opening, the Utsunomiya - Haga light rail line connecting the cities of Utsunomiya and Haga in Tochigi Prefecture (Japan) reached the 5 million passenger milestone, 20% more than forecast.

The Utsunomiya-Haga LRT Line has become a model in Japan. (Photo: Visit Togichi)

Always among the top livable countries, possessing the most reliable, safe and comfortable public transport network in the world , Japan still focuses on developing the urban railway system, especially LRT.

“ The economic and social benefits of the new LRT system operating in northern Tokyo (Utsunomiya is about 100 km north of Tokyo) have made it a model that other cities in Japan and around the world want to study ,” Kyodo News Agency assessed.

The Utsunomiya - Haga LRT Line is about 14.6 km long, running on electricity generated by burning household waste and surplus energy from household solar power systems.

The Utsunomiya government is planning to extend the LRT line west of Utsunomiya Station to help revitalize the area. Many cities in Japan are looking to similar projects to revitalize their areas.

Meanwhile, in the Danish capital, the Greater Copenhagen light rail line, which stretches over 28 km between Lyngby and Ishøj, is being rushed to completion with plans to be put into use in 2025. This LRT line will pass through 8 municipalities, with 29 stations.

A single LRT train can carry 260 passengers. That’s equivalent to about four city buses. It’s expected that 13-14 million passengers will use the Greater Copenhagen LRT each year, surpassing even the “Kystbanen” (the coastal railway between Copenhagen and Elsinore, one of Denmark’s busiest railways) which had around 9 million passengers in 2016.

Indonesia and the Philippines: Expectations for Congestion Reduction and Economic Growth

Indonesia will officially inaugurate its elevated light rail system at the end of 2023. Reuters (UK) reported that this $2.13 billion project is a strategic step to help reduce severe traffic congestion in Jakarta - the capital of Indonesia - as well as air pollution here. Jakarta is ranked among the most polluted cities in the world with terrible traffic congestion.

The Greater Jakarta LRT (including the capital Jakarta and three satellite cities including West Java, Bekasi and Depok) is 41.2 km long. Each LRT car can carry 20 passengers with 10 seats.

Indonesia officially joins the LRT "playground" at the end of 2023. (Photo: Istock)

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, the nearly four-decade-old LRT-1 expansion project is nearing completion. An 11.7km line will be added to the existing 20.7km LRT-1 line in the capital Manila.

As of March 2024, the line is 97% complete. The project aims to ease traffic congestion in the Paranaque-Las Pinas-Cavite corridor and boost trade. The extension will shorten travel time between Baclaran and Bacoor from 70 minutes to 25 minutes and serve 800,000 passengers daily.

Boldly build a light railway from Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh , even to Moc Bai border gate?

In Vietnam, new urban railway lines have just been put into operation in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. However, to build a synchronous network connecting with other types of transport and connecting between urban and inter-regional areas is still an "open problem".

According to experts, international experience shows that LRT is an important link in the strategy for developing public transport systems, meeting the needs of inner-city travel and inter-regional connectivity in large cities.

Associate Professor, Dr. Luu Duc Hai - Vice President of the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association - said that with great support from modern technology and automatic control systems, LRT is an express means of transport, promoting and connecting bus and railway systems.

Even compared to other types of urban railways such as mass rapid transit (MRT) and monorail, the light rail system (LRT) is both cost-effective, environmentally friendly, modern, and suitable for many cities in Vietnam during the urbanization process.

Ba Den Mountain (Tay Ninh) seen from Dau Tieng Lake. (Photo: Le Nhat Hung Phat)

Especially for Ho Chi Minh City, inter-regional transport infrastructure is considered a major bottleneck hindering economic development. Ho Chi Minh City is the core of the entire Southern key economic region, but the transport routes connecting the provinces are all seriously congested.

The fear of traffic jams not only makes it difficult for people to travel but also hinders trade, freight transport, and tourism, especially on the Ho Chi Minh City - Tay Ninh route, where there is the famous tourist destination of Ba Den Mountain and Moc Bai border gate.

In that context, the Sun Group's recent comments on the Ho Chi Minh City Master Plan Adjustment Project to 2040, with a vision to 2060, have attracted attention. The group proposed adding to the planning an 8-10 lane boulevard along the Saigon River, including a nearly 100 km long light rail (LRT) line connecting Ho Chi Minh City to Tay Ninh.

This proposal is supported and highly appreciated because of its similarity with the policy of developing a modern, synchronous inter-regional transport system of Ho Chi Minh City. Along with waterways and roads, the LRT light rail line will add a new type of transport, making it increasingly convenient for people to travel, trade, transport goods and passengers between Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh, Binh Duong in particular, and the provinces along the Saigon River in general.

“ I think it is good. Public transport is currently lacking, so light rail and high-speed buses are needed. We need to build more roads like this, in different directions, and there should be a general plan. If transport is convenient, the economy will improve. The current traffic congestion situation does not attract investment and causes difficulties for the economy, ” said Dr. Vo Kim Cuong, former Deputy Chief Architect of Ho Chi Minh City.

Supporting the need to attract private resources in developing transport infrastructure, Dr. Vo Kim Cuong emphasized: " There must be clear steps to avoid creating suspended planning, with openness so that investors can participate and follow the gradual development of the market ."

The LRT line running along the Saigon River is proposed to extend to Moc Bai – Tay Ninh.

Many opinions also suggest that if the entire modern infrastructure system, the LRT light rail line connecting Ho Chi Minh City - Tay Ninh, should be built another 20-30 km straight to Moc Bai international border gate.

This is the largest land border gate in the South between Vietnam and Cambodia, and an international gateway to countries in the ASEAN region. Cambodia is one of the 10 markets with the largest number of international visitors to Vietnam in the first 9 months of 2024. Vietnam also becomes Cambodia's second largest trading partner in the international market after China.

Therefore, this modern, breakthrough traffic axis not only brings a strong “doping dose” to the entire key economic region of the South, in which Ho Chi Minh City plays the leading role in development, but also promotes trade, tourism, and attracts international investment.

The transportation system can be a direct bridge to bring Cambodian tourists to Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City as well as the Southeast provinces; at the same time, create favorable conditions to attract Cambodian businesses to invest in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ha An

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/thay-gi-tu-viec-tap-doan-kinh-te-tu-nhan-de-xuat-lam-tuyen-lrt-tp-hcm-tay-ninh-ar903817.html