The development of the urban rail system is the solution to reshape the city’s public transportation and is a driving force for socio-economic development and urban restructuring.
Precious lessons
The construction of Metro Line No. 1 faced many difficulties but the project has brought valuable lessons, setting a standard for the faster implementation of subsequent metro lines.
Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) Phan Cong Bang believed that the Metro Line No. 1 project would serve as a case study for Metro Line No. 2 (Ben Thanh - Tham Luong) in terms of site clearance, on the ground and underground construction to avoid delays.
Subsequent lessons include the synchronized combination between international contracts (FIDIC) and Vietnamese law to reduce risks during implementation.
Another important lesson is the management of contracts to define responsibilities between parties to minimize disputes, as well as establishing plans for operation and maintenance from the outset to ensure the system operates effectively.
With the operational Metro Line No. 1, the Metro Line No. 2 project is hastily relocating technical infrastructure to prepare a "clean" site for the main contract package, which is expected to start work in 2025, and for the project to come into operation by 2030.
According to the plan, by 2035, Ho Chi Minh City sets a target of completing approximately 183 kilometers of urban railway, including high-capacity, high-frequency passenger transport. By 2045, an additional 168.36-kilometer-long urban railway will be built to complete seven metro lines, extending the total length to 351 kilometers.
By 2060, metro lines No. 8, 9, 10 will be completed, bringing the total urban railway length to over 510 kilometers.
Regarding the plan, Ho Chi Minh City will extend Metro Line No. 1 by nearly 21 kilometers from Ben Thanh Station to An Ha in Binh Chanh District while Metro Line No. 2 will add two segments totaling 9.1 kilometers from Ben Thanh to Thu Thiem and from Tham Luong to An Suong bus station, extending the total length of the line to 20.2 kilometers.
In addition, Ho Chi Minh City will complete four other lines, comprising Metro Line No. 3 connecting Hiep Binh Phuoc - Dan Chu Roundabout - Tan Kien - An Ha; Metro Line No. 4 connecting Depot Dong Thanh - Ben Thanh - Ba Chiem station via Ring Road 3; Metro Line No. 5 linking Vo Chi Cong station via Ring Road 2 - Bay Hien intersection to Da Phuoc depot, and Metro Line No. 6, connecting Ba Queo - Tan Son Nhat International Airport - Binh Trieu - Phu Huu. The total investment for these projects is estimated to approximate VND837 trillion (US$33.4 billion).
Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport Tran Quang Lam said that the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has submitted a proposal for specific mechanisms and policies to relevant authorities to achieve the goal. The Ministry of Transport is gathering opinions from other ministries to propose to the National Assembly for the issuance of implementation mechanisms and policies.
Urban rearrangement
Along with the operational metro line, there is an expectation for a scientific, civilized, and modern urban rearrangement. To implement this important content, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has issued a plan to implement Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) areas along metro lines No. 1, 2, and Ring Road No.3 in districts 10, Tan Binh, Tan Phu, Thu Duc City and Hoc Mon in Ho Chi Minh City from 2025.
The TOD areas are divided into two groups. The first group will renovate the existing residential areas with the state-managed land funds from office buildings and factories that can be relocated. The second group comprises of new investments developed on vacant land or sparsely populated areas with priority of easy site clearance.
The core station area with a radius from 400 meters to 500 meters will develop high-density urban areas with pedestrian-centered transportation. Besides, the transition station area with a radius from 500 meters to 1000 meters will develop medium-density areas, using bicycles and buses as connecting transportation.
The adjacent area of Ring Road No.3 in Ho Chi Minh City will form industrial zones, logistics, and concentrated residential areas, prioritizing public transportation.
In order to optimize the effectiveness of the TOD system, Doctor Vu Anh Tuan, Director of the Vietnamese-German Transport Research Center at Vietnamese-German University suggested flexible planning of commercial, services, and housing areas around metro stations within a 500-meter radius, connecting to urban clusters and convenient public transportation for commuting and trade.
This distribution would not only meet housing needs but it could also reduce the use of private vehicles, encouraging people in TOD areas to travel by metro, bus, or walk, reducing traffic pressure on existing roads.
The TOD model will not only address traffic issues but it shall also restructure Ho Chi Minh City's urban landscape towards modernity and sustainability.
