Ho Chi Minh City is reviewing and proposing adjustments to its urban railway projects to better align with the city’s development needs following its recent administrative merger.
Under Resolution No. 188/2025/QH15 of the National Assembly, the city plans to prioritise investment in 10 railway lines by 2035, including three metro routes connecting Binh Duong and Ba Ria–Vung Tau.
According to plans approved by the Prime Minister, the revised urban railway network will span about 1,012 km. Before the merger, HCM City had 12 lines covering roughly 582 km, former Binh Duong province, 12 lines totalling 305 km, and former Ba Ria–Vung Tau province three lines of about 125 km.
The municipal Department of Construction said a prompt review of the new master plan is needed, alongside clear investment roadmaps that align with the city’s new development landscape. Based on post-merger requirements, the municipal People’s Committee has identified and ranked investment priorities for 10 lines during the 2025–2030 period and through to 2035.
The priority projects include Metro Line 2 (Ben Thanh–Tham Luong, Ben Thanh–Thu Thiem, Tham Luong–Cu Chi), Metro Line 1 (Binh Duong New City–Suoi Tien–HCM City, and Ben Thanh–An Ha), Line 2 (Thu Dau Mot City–HCM City), Line 3 (Hiep Binh Phuoc–An Ha), Line 4 (Dong Thanh–Tan Son Nhat International Airport–Ben Thanh–Hiep Phuoc), and Line 6 (Inner Ring).
Also prioritised are the Thu Thiem–Long Thanh railway (pending government approval), Line 3 (Vung Tau–Ba Ria–Phu My, with a proposed extension to Long Thanh International Airport), and a proposed line connecting central HCM City with Can Gio.
The city is seeking approval from the Government, through the Ministry of Construction, to adjust the project list annexed to the Resolution 188, which allows special mechanisms and policies to accelerate railway development in both Hanoi and HCM City.
HCM City has proposed adding three projects to the resolution’s investment list, namely Line 1 (Binh Duong New City–Suoi Tien–HCM City), Line 2 (Thu Dau Mot City–HCM City), and the Thu Thiem–Long Thanh railway. It also suggests postponing two projects to the 2036–2045 period, namely Line 5 (Long Truong–Hanoi Highway–Saigon Bridge–Bay Hien–Da Phuoc Depot) and Line 7 (Tan Kien–Nguyen Van Linh–Thu Thiem–Thao Dien–Thanh Da–High-Tech Park–Vinhomes Grand Park).
The municipal Department of Construction noted that the initial application of Resolution 188’s special mechanisms has already yielded results, significantly speeding up project preparation and cutting red tape. With these advantages, the city plans to begin construction of Metro Line 2 (Ben Thanh–Tham Luong) by late 2025, while nine other lines are expected to start between 2027 and 2028, with the entire network targeted for completion by 2035./.
