$3.4B sought for metro line linking Thu Duc with Dong Nai

Consultants have proposed a 48-kilometer metro line connecting Thu Duc City in Ho Chi Minh City to Long Thanh District in the neighboring Dong Nai Province, with a total investment of VND84.752 trillion (US$3.42 billion).

The Ministry of Transport has requested input from Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai authorities, and relevant ministries on the project’s necessity, route planning, land use, station connections, and land clearance solutions.

A consortium of Vietnamese firms, TEDI, TRICC, and TEDIS, suggested that the metro line will span 48.2 kilometers, with 41.8 kilometers for the main route (11.7 kilometers in HCMC and 30.8 kilometers in Dong Nai) and 4.4 kilometers for the depot connection in Long Thanh District.

Currently referred to as the Thu Thiem – Long Thanh line, the metro will serve as a high-capacity transit system (MRT), with maximum speeds of 110 kph on the main route and 80 kph in tunnels.

According to the proposal, the line will start at Thu Thiem Station in Thu Duc City, follow HCMC’s Ring Road 3, cross the Dong Nai River, and enter Dong Nai’s Provincial Road 25B before going underground in Long Thanh District. It will eventually connect to the north-south high-speed railway and lead to Long Thanh International Airport, which is currently under construction.

The project will feature both elevated and underground sections, with stations including four underground near Long Thanh Airport, and two depots—one of 21.4 hectares in Long Thanh for maintenance and one of 1.2 hectares in Thu Duc for minor repairs.

Between 2035 and 2045, the line will operate with nine four-car trains, increasing to 28 trains between 2045 and 2055, and eventually using 31 six-car trains after 2055. The trains will employ distributed power technology, similar to that of the north-south high-speed railway.

The total investment for the Thu Thiem – Long Thanh railway is estimated at VND84.752 trillion, excluding loan interest, with VND5.5 trillion allocated for land clearance and resettlement. The proposal suggests using state funds and bonds for land clearance and construction, while ODA loans would be used for purchasing trains and ticketing systems.

If approved, construction is expected to begin by late 2026, with commercial operations starting in 2030.

Currently, the Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway is the only route connecting Long Thanh Airport to central Ho Chi Minh City, and it is already overburdened. Globally, major airports located far from city centers typically have high-capacity rail links, making this project critical given the urbanization and development along the HCMC–Long Thanh corridor, according to the transport ministry.

HCMC’s metro plan includes eight metro lines and three monorail lines, covering approximately 220 kilometers. Currently, only Metro Line No.1 (Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien) and Line No.2 (Ben Thanh – Tham Luong), spanning more than 30 kilometers, are under construction with official development assistance loans. The remaining lines are still in the planning stages.

The first metro line is expected to become operational later this year.

By Doan Loan – VnExpress.net – October 10, 2024