Developing sustainable urban metro

The information and lessons learned from TOD development in Europe presented at the workshop have provided inspiration for Ho Chi Minh City to promote sustainable and smart urban development. In particular, the formation of an urban railway network (metro) associated with an urban development model oriented towards public transport development is considered a strategic direction.

Metro Line 1 Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien is a living proof. As soon as it was put into operation, it showed a clear positive impact. Many people are willing to give up their motorbikes and private cars to switch to the metro because of its convenience, safety and economy. This has a profound meaning: people are not "conservative" or "addicted" to motorbikes as has long been considered a barrier to public transport. The problem lies in the fact that public infrastructure has not been good enough for people to choose. Once the metro operates effectively, habits will change, and a civilized, modern lifestyle will naturally form. In that context, it is necessary to frankly acknowledge that, in addition to prioritizing the switch from gasoline vehicles to electric vehicles to partially solve emissions, it is more fundamental to quickly complete the metro system and synchronously connect public transport. This will help significantly solve traffic jams, change the urban transport structure, and bring Ho Chi Minh City's traffic to a civilized, orderly and efficient model.

From a metro line No. 1, the vision that Ho Chi Minh City aims for is 355km of urban railway by 2035. But it comes with a huge investment amount - about 44 billion USD, a not small amount for the budget. Lessons from countries in the region such as: Japan, Korea, Singapore, China or European countries all show that, if you want to build a metro, you must attach it to TOD. Not only building the rails, but also re-planning the space around the station, forming compact urban areas, commercial centers, housing... The increase in land value around the metro will create a large source of revenue for infrastructure reinvestment.

Ho Chi Minh City has taken the right steps with the plan of 11 TOD zones along many wards and communes. If implemented synchronously and transparently, TOD will both solve the capital problem and open up new growth poles, reducing pressure on the center. But that is not the only source of capital; to build a metro, a diverse financial strategy is needed. First, foreign loans can be greatly supported in terms of technology, experience and preferential interest rates, but must be accompanied by management to avoid capital overruns. Second, strongly exploit the form of public-private partnership (PPP), allowing businesses to participate in investment, in return for the right to commercially exploit the areas of stations and service centers.

Thus, the prerequisite is that political determination is already there, the remaining issue is to have clear policies so that businesses can confidently invest. Once the capital source is cleared, the 355km metro network connecting modern TOD areas will not be too difficult to become a reality. At that time, the image of Ho Chi Minh City will no longer be a dense stream of motorbikes, with smoke and dust at rush hour, but a civilized, green and attractive urban area. Therefore, the city must speed up the metro progress, considering it an important backbone to soon become an international megacity.

QUOC HUNG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/phat-trien-metro-gan-do-thi-ben-vung-post815295.html