Ho Chi Minh City proposes the fastest plan to build a railway connecting Long Thanh

This is a step to implement the direction of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on researching and implementing subway lines connecting Tan Son Nhat International Airport and Long Thanh.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, after the Ministry of Construction submitted to the Prime Minister an adjustment to the railway network planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line was transferred from the national planning to the urban railway, and assigned to Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai province to update into the local planning.

Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien metro line through Thu Thiem urban area, Ho Chi Minh City – important infrastructure in the network connecting two airports.

The Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway project is about 42 km long, including 20 stations (16 elevated stations, 4 underground stations), designed speed of 120 km/h, track gauge of 1,435 mm. The route has the function of transporting passengers in and out of the city center, from Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai to Long Thanh International Airport.

According to current planning, there are four connection options between the two airports:

Option 1: Connection via metro line 2 (Tham Luong - Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem) and Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line.

Option 2: Connect by metro line 6 and Thu Thiem - Long Thanh route through Phu Huu area.

Option 3: Connect metro line 4 to Ben Thanh station, then take line 2 and Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway.

Option 4: Combine metro line 2, extended line 1, Dong Nai metro line 2 and Thu Thiem - Long Thanh line.

Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee assessed that the plan to approve metro line 2 and Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway is feasible and most favorable for early implementation.

Specifically, the Ben Thanh - Tham Luong metro section, about 12 km long, has basically completed site clearance, expected to start construction in 2025 and be completed before 2032. The Ba Queo station area (connecting Tan Son Nhat airport) is supported by the expansion projects of Truong Chinh and Tan Ky - Tan Quy streets, helping to facilitate passenger transfer.

The Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem section is short (about 6 km), underground along the Ham Nghi - Mai Chi Tho axis, convenient in terms of land.

The Thu Thiem - Long Thanh route runs along the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay Expressway and Ring Road 3, mainly through vacant land so it can be deployed quickly.

Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway corridor, the area planned to arrange the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line according to the plan to connect two airports.

Therefore, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee will focus on accelerating the plan to connect Tan Son Nhat International Airport with Long Thanh International Airport via urban railway line No. 2 (Ben Thanh - Tham Luong, Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem sections) and Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line; synchronously organize investment in progress, infrastructure and related technical factors, the main technological and technical parameters are selected in the direction of modernity, openness, popularity and the ability to upgrade and integrate to ensure consistency and synchronization on the entire route.

According to forecasts, when Long Thanh is put into operation in 2026, the number of passengers transferring between the two airports will be about 1.5 million/year, equivalent to 4,100 passengers/day. By 2050, the demand for passenger transport during peak hours on the corridor could reach 30,000 people/direction/hour. Therefore, Ho Chi Minh City believes that the most appropriate time to invest in a direct connection between the two airports is after 2040, when demand reaches the effective exploitation threshold of the MRT system.

In the current stage, the development of the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh route should be combined with the urban transport network, serving the travel needs between the center of Ho Chi Minh City, Nhon Trach urban area and Long Thanh airport, while also being associated with the urban development orientation according to the TOD (Transit Oriented Development) model.

Regarding the form of investment, metro lines 2, 4 and 6 are expected to be implemented with public investment (central, local and other legal budget sources), striving to be completed before 2035. As for the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh route, the Politburo has agreed to assign Ho Chi Minh City to implement it with the central budget to ensure synchronous exploitation of the metro network and convenient connection between the two airports.

In addition to public investment, some private investors have proposed to participate in the project. Truong Hai Group (Thaco) wants to study the PPP model - BT contract, investing in the Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem and Thu Thiem - Long Thanh routes.

Pacific Construction Group (China) proposed to study the connection via metro line No. 6 and Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway in three forms: EPC general contractor, PPP-BT or turnkey. Ho Chi Minh City is working with investors to consider the possibility of cooperation.

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee proposed that the Prime Minister agree to prioritize accelerating the progress of metro line No. 2 (Ben Thanh - Tham Luong, Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem) and the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line, while continuing to invest in metro line No. 6 to complete the transport corridor connecting the two airports.

The Ho Chi Minh City government also proposed to be assigned to coordinate with Dong Nai province to carry out legal procedures, adjust planning, unify project management agencies, and at the same time study flexible investment options and mobilize social resources to ensure the project is implemented quickly and effectively.

NGUYEN LIEN

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/tp-hcm-neu-phuong-an-lam-duong-sat-noi-long-thanh-tan-son-nhat-nhanh-nhat-ar972397.html