Ho Chi Minh City to add 5 metro lines in next 5 years

According to a resolution recently issued by the Standing Committee of the city Party Committee on special mechanisms for developing the network, it will be built in a synchronized manner under the transit-oriented development model and serve as the backbone of the city public transport.

By 2030 metro trains are expected to meet 20-30% of transport demand, rising to 35-50% by 2035 and 50-60% by 2045.

The five planned to be built are metro line No. 2 (Tham Luong-Ben Thanh-Thu Thiem), the extended metro line No. 1 (Binh Duong New City-Suoi Tien), phase 1 of metro line No. 6 (Tan Son Nhat Airport-Phu Huu), and the Thu Thiem-Long Thanh and Ben Thanh-Can Gio routes.

In 2030-35 the city plans to build eight more lines with a combined length of 275 km, raising the total length of the network to 462 km.

Over the following decade, the system will be further expanded with five more lines totaling 239 km, bringing the overall length to 700 km and covering the city comprehensively and strengthening inter-regional connectivity.

Vietnam’s largest city will make full use of special mechanisms and preferential policies to streamline procedures and accelerate project implementation.

It plans to mobilize a wide range of resources but with public funding playing a leading role.

HCMC’s first metro line, from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien, began commercial operation in December 2024 after 12 years of construction 17 years after it was first approved.

In the year since, demand on the 19.7-km line has been very strong with over 55,000 passengers using it every day.

Authorities plan to break ground on metro line No. 2, which will be more than 11 km long, this month.

It will be the first project to adopt special funding mechanisms aimed at accelerating progress and serving as a model for subsequent metro lines.

Estimated to cost VND47.8 trillion (US$1.8 billion), it is expected to take almost five years to build with commercial service beginning in 2030.