What is the scale of the Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem - Long Thanh airport railway proposed by THACO?

After completing the research, if not selected as an investor, THACO will hand over all research results to Ho Chi Minh City and will not require any refund.

Long Thanh airport items are gradually being completed - Photo: VAN TRUNG

In a document sent to the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Truong Hai Group Investment Joint Stock Company ( THACO ) said it has proposed that the Government consider allowing the group to invest in the North-South high-speed railway project.

This proposal is built in the spirit of responding to Resolution 68 of the Politburo on private economic development and Resolution 198 of the National Assembly on specific mechanisms and policies for developing the urban railway system.

THACO commits to efficiency and ensures progress

According to THACO, it is known that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has issued a plan to invest in 355km of metro from now until 2035 according to Resolution 188 of the National Assembly . Of which, two important routes are identified as metro line 2 (Tham Luong - Ben Thanh section; Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem) and the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line.

In the planning process of the above metro and railway lines, stations and depots will be oriented to be fully integrated with the urban development model oriented towards public transport (according to the TOD model).

TOD areas will be designed in a multi-functional direction, harmoniously combining the public transport system with commercial - service spaces, public utilities, green parks and high-density residential areas.

Based on the planning of the above railway and metro routes, THACO proposes to consider allowing investment research for the above projects in the form of EPC general contractor (design - procurement of materials, equipment - construction) or direct investment according to the provisions of the Investment Law.

THACO also proposed to allow parallel research to be carried out within no more than 3 months (from the time Ho Chi Minh City approved the research assignment) to develop a comprehensive plan, including choosing the appropriate investment method (public investment or direct investment).

At the same time, propose optimal solutions to improve investment efficiency, especially the use of underground space for public utilities and the integration of TOD areas at stations and depots.

The Group affirmed that the entire research process will be carried out urgently and seriously, and committed not to affect the progress of the groundbreaking of metro line 2 in December 2025, and the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway in the fourth quarter of 2026 according to Ho Chi Minh City's plan.

After completing the research, if not selected as an investor, THACO will hand over all research results to the city and will not require any refund.

From the proposal, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc has just concluded and directed.

Accordingly, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee highly appreciated the proposals to synchronously connect urban railway lines from the city center (Ben Thanh) to Thu Thiem urban area and extend to Long Thanh international airport.

The integration of these routes into a unified route (Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem - Long Thanh) is suitable in terms of technology and urban space development orientation, contributing to promoting investment efficiency, increasing connectivity and serving the socio-economic development of the eastern region of Ho Chi Minh City.

Currently, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has sent a report to the Ministry of Construction proposing that the Prime Minister assign the city as the project's investment management agency. On that basis, the investor is requested to proactively research and propose related contents for the city to synthesize and report to competent authorities for consideration according to regulations.

Map of Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line - Photo: TEDI - TEDIS consulting joint venture

Scale of Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem - Long Thanh airport urban railway line

With special facilities from Resolution 188 of the National Assembly, Ho Chi Minh City is currently implementing related procedures to simultaneously invest in 7 metro lines with a length of 355km.

At the same time, the city is promoting the investment in the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line and the railway connecting the center to Can Gio. The total preliminary investment for 9 railway and metro lines is 1,204,979 billion VND.

In fact, the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh route and metro line 2 Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem section are being studied in two separate projects. Specifically, the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway route is 41.8km long (11.6km through Ho Chi Minh City and 30.2km through Dong Nai) with a total investment of about VND88,725 billion (equivalent to about USD3.5 billion).

This project has strategic significance in connecting the two international airports Tan Son Nhat - Long Thanh, and has been repeatedly directed by the Prime Minister to speed up progress.

The 6km Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem section is a component project within the entire metro line No. 2 (Cu Chi - National Highway 22 - An Suong - Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem) which is 48km long with a preliminary investment of about 152,855 billion VND. The Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem section will be completely underground in the direction of Ben Thanh central station - Ham Nghi - Vong Cung boulevard - Children's Palace - International Hospital - Binh Khanh - Thu Thiem. This section has a preliminary total investment of about 1.3 billion USD.

Thus, if the study integrates the two routes into a unified Ben Thanh - Thu Thiem - Long Thanh airport route, the total length will be about 47.8km. The total investment for this integrated route is estimated at about 4.8 billion USD.

This is the combined result of the research reports of the two projects. The specific capital amount will be determined in the next step, when the competent authority conducts detailed research, selects technology, investment type...

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thaco-de-xuat-tuyen-duong-sat-ben-thanh-thu-thiem-san-bay-long-thanh-quy-mo-ra-sao-20250701090935932.htm