The statement was made by Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Nguyen Van Duoc, at a working session on the progress and investment plans for the urban rail system with the city’s Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) on the evening of March 4.
At the event, Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR), Phan Cong Bang, proposed the municipal People's Committee resolve issues related to Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh–Suoi Tien) and Metro Line 2 (Ben Thanh–Tham Luong), begin the preparation work for investing in seven new metro lines, and finish it before 2027 to reach the goal of completing 350 kilometers of urban railway by 2035.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transportation and Public Works and the city's Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) reported to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee on the preparation for the projects and plan for additional public investments. The Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) proposed an allocation of VND111.5 billion (US$4.4 million) in the medium-term public investment plan for the 2021-2025 period to carry out the pre-feasibility study report.
Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Bui Xuan Cuong, affirmed that the city should learn and take advantage of experience from the construction of Metro Line 1 to develop other lines quickly and update the general route planning to have optimal investment solutions.
The legal framework is clear. Resolution 188/2025/QH15 on piloting a number of specific and special mechanisms and policies to develop the urban railway network system in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City provides an opportunity for the southern metropolis to select domestic businesses to participate in rail production, ensuring a proactive supply source, he added.
The city approved an allocation of VND155 billion (US$6 billion) for the implementation of the plan. Metro Line 2 has the benefits of secured funding, and its construction should be started in 2025, with the goal of completing it by 2030, the city’s Vice Chairman noted.
In his speech, Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Nguyen Van Duoc, emphasized that the planning and implementation of the metro system must be accelerated further to achieve the set goals.
Currently, despite many efforts, the Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) needs to be more decisive, rapid, proactive, and flexible in coordination to ensure the project's progress and complete the construction of 350 kilometers of metro lines in the next ten years.
"If this delay continues, when will the goal of completing 350 kilometers of metro lines be completed?" he asked.
According to the city’s chairman, participating in the project is not just building the metro but also focusing on technology transfer from consulting units, ensuring that Ho Chi Minh City can master the technology while still complying with the law. Those who are chosen to take part in training courses must have the capacity to operate and manage the entire rail system, including operations, trade activities and services, and station management.
It needs close coordination between the planning of the metro lines and the TOD (transit-oriented development) model for urban transport with experts to ensure the efficient use of land surrounding the stations, he stressed.
The Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has requested that the Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR), the Department of Transportation and Public Works of the city, and relevant units accelerate progress, ensure adherence to the plan, and take advantage of special mechanisms to develop a synchronized and modern metro system that meets the demand for urban transportation in the future.
