According to a resolution recently issued by the Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee on piloting special mechanisms for urban railway system development, this network will be built to be modern and synchronous, serving as the backbone of public passenger transport.

By 2030, the city's urban railway system aims to meet 20-30% of residents' travel demand, increasing to 35-50% by 2035, and reaching 50-60% by 2045.

Accordingly, Ho Chi Minh City will simultaneously implement numerous projects in phases. Beyond the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line already in operation, the city aims to complete five additional lines by 2030, extending the total urban railway length to 187 km, combined with urban development following the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) model.

Passengers on the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro, the first line to be put into operation in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Quynh Tran

Projects prioritized for investment in this phase include: Metro line 2 (Tham Luong - Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem), the extended Metro line 1 (Binh Duong New City - Suoi Tien), Metro line 6 phase one (Tan Son Nhat Airport - Phu Huu), along with two railway lines: Thu Thiem - Long Thanh and Ben Thanh - Can Gio.

During the 2030-2035 phase, the city will continue to invest in completing 8 more tram lines, totaling 275 km, increasing the entire railway and metro network length to 462 km. In the subsequent 10 years, the metro system will further expand with investment in five additional lines, spanning 239 km, bringing the total length to approximately 700 km, ensuring extensive coverage and inter-regional connectivity.

To achieve these goals, Ho Chi Minh City will maximize the utilization of special mechanisms and policies to streamline procedures and accelerate project progress. Additionally, the city will focus on reviewing and updating the urban railway network master plan and the appropriate TOD model.

Regarding capital, the nation's largest urban area plans to mobilize diverse resources, while balancing and allocating medium-term and annual public investment plans from the budget, with public investment playing a leading role and stimulating private investment. Concurrently, the city will also innovate investment, management, and operational models, combining these with human resources, science and technology, and urban railway industry development.

Ho Chi Minh City put its first metro line, Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien, into operation in late 2024. This line, nearly 20 km long, connects the city center to the eastern gateway. In over one year of operation, demand for travel on the line has been substantial, averaging over 55,000 passengers daily.

Following this line, the city is preparing to commence construction on Metro line 2, the Ben Thanh - Tham Luong section, which is over 11 km long. This is also the first project to apply special policies aimed at accelerating progress and providing experience for other lines.

Giang Anh