Ho Chi Minh City focuses all efforts on completing 6 metro lines before 2030

Ho Chi Minh City is speeding up the relocation of technical infrastructure to start construction of Metro Line 2 (Ben Thanh - Tham Luong) in January 2026. Photo: Anh Tu

Preparing to start construction of Ben Thanh - Can Gio and Ben Thanh - Tham Luong Metro

Ben Thanh - Can Gio Metro is the opening project for the acceleration phase, expected to start construction on December 19, 2025. The route is nearly 53km long, double-track standard, 1,435mm gauge, maximum design speed of 350km/h. The project was proposed by VinSpeed High-Speed Railway Investment and Development Joint Stock Company , with a total capital of more than VND 86,650 billion. The Metro is expected to be constructed until the third quarter of 2027, test run from the fourth quarter of 2027 and commercial operation in the first quarter of 2028. The route uses 8-car trains, with a capacity of 600 passengers; frequency of 3 pairs of trains/hour, serving nearly 44,000 passengers per day, equivalent to more than 15.9 million passengers per year.

Metro Line 2 (Ben Thanh - Tham Luong) is expected to be approved for adjustment before December 15, 2025 and start construction on the entire line on January 15, 2026, and put into operation from December 2030. The length of the project after adjustment is 11,269km, of which 9,255km is underground, the rest is elevated and depot access road. The line has 10 underground stations (including Ben Thanh station), one elevated station and one depot. The total investment is expected to increase to VND 52,047 billion due to additional scale, technology updates and price fluctuations.

Metro Line 2 (Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem) will also be underground for about 6km along Ham Nghi and Mai Chi Tho avenues.

In addition, the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh route will be adjusted to an urban railway, approximately 42km long, double track, 1,435mm gauge, designed speed of 120km/h. The route includes 20 stations (16 elevated stations, 4 underground stations), with a total investment of approximately 3.21 billion USD. When completed, passengers from Tan Son Nhat airport can take Metro Line 2 to Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem and then continue along the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh route to Long Thanh airport.

Metro Line 6 (Tan Son Nhat - Phu Huu) is also considered a new strategic line, 53.8km long, with a total investment of more than 8 billion USD. The line directly connects all three terminals T1, T2 and T3 of Tan Son Nhat airport, and connects with Metro Line 2 at Ba Queo station and Thu Thiem - Long Thanh line at Phu Huu station. This will be an important transport corridor between two major airports, reducing pressure on the central area of Ho Chi Minh City.

Two metro lines connecting Binh Duong province are also preparing for investment. Metro Line 1 (Binh Duong New City - Suoi Tien) is 29.01km long, entirely elevated, sharing the Long Binh depot with Metro Line Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien. The total investment capital of the project is 46,725 billion VND. Metro Line 2 (Thu Dau Mot - Ho Chi Minh City) is 21.87km long, elevated, with a total capital of about 53,000 billion VND.

Land clearance lessons from Metro lines 1 and 2

According to Tran Quang Lam, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, the six metro lines mentioned above have a total length of about 232km, with a total preliminary investment of nearly 19.67 billion USD. Of which, the central government's capital and the Ho Chi Minh City budget only meet about 66% of the demand.

Therefore, the city needs to soon develop a project to mobilize more resources, including exploiting land funds according to the TOD model (urban development associated with public transport), public-private partnership (PPP), especially the BT (build-transfer) method.

In addition to the capital issue, site clearance continues to be the biggest challenge. In fact, the progress of Metro Lines 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) and 2 (Ben Thanh - Tham Luong) has been delayed partly due to the delay in site clearance. Metro Line 1 was once sued internationally by the contractor for slow site clearance, while Metro Line 2 took 5 years to complete the site clearance for more than 11km of the line.

Dr. Tran Quang Thang - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Economics and Management - said that in order for new metro projects to "run fast", Ho Chi Minh City must change its approach: Prepare the site 1-2 years in advance, only start construction when the site is 90-100% ready; pay flexible compensation, close to market prices to limit complaints; shorten the process, clearly specify the time limit for each step and publicly announce the progress of each household, to increase transparency.

Speaking at a recent meeting with the HCM City Urban Railway Management Board, HCM City Party Secretary Tran Luu Quang emphasized the need to prioritize resettlement arrangements for each project. During the time people have to relocate, while the resettlement area is not completed, the city will support housing rental.

Ho Chi Minh City will also prepare more funds for pre-built houses in convenient locations with profitable value to support special cases, ensuring that people have a place to live and a long-term livelihood. The Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee also requested to digitize the entire resettlement process, ensuring transparency, accuracy and convenience for people affected by urban railway projects.

MINH QUAN

Source: https://laodong.vn/xa-hoi/tphcm-tap-trung-toan-luc-hoan-thanh-6-tuyen-metro-truoc-nam-2030-1611530.ldo