Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport Phan Cong Bang said that the Department has just sent a document to the Department of Planning and Architecture and the Urban Railway Management Board to seek their opinions on the proposal to build a self-driving train line from the city center to Tan Son Nhat Airport - Dam Sen Cultural Park to reduce traffic congestion in the city center and Tan Son Nhat Airport.
According to the Department of Transport, this project will be carried out by Thach Ban Park Company with a total length of about 30 km and a total investment capital of about VND20,000 billion.
The project is expected to be invested in three phases. The first phase will be from Tan Son Nhat Airport to Cu Lao Nguyen with a length of 12.7 km running along the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal. The second phase is from Cu Lao Nguyen to Ba Tang Bridge in District with a length of 8 5.7 km running along the Doi Canal.
The third phase is an 11.5 km section from Ba Tang Bridge in District 8 to the intersection of Hoang Van Thu and Ut Tich streets following the Tan Hoa Canal and Lac Long Quan Road.
This elevated self-driving train line is located entirely on the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal, Saigon River, Ben Nghe Canal, Doi Canal, Tan Hoa Canal and Lac Long Quan Road; therefore, there is no problem with land clearance.
The elevated self-driving train will directly solve the traffic congestion problem in the Tan Son Nhat Airport area with its superior advantage of flexible lane switching, making it very convenient for development. The routes are made of steel and can be mass-produced in factories, which will help speed up construction, with the project expected to be completed in about 5 years. The main stations will be connected to the metro system as designed.
According to experts, the Metro system in Ho Chi Minh City is designed in directions from the outside to the city center connecting in the central area.
With the current construction speed, it will take some time for this connection system to be formed. Therefore, a transportation solution for the city from the city center to Tan Son Nhat Airport needs to be considered for rapid implementation.
