Ho Chi Minh City plans to complete the feasibility study approval and contractor selection for Metro Line 2 (Ben Thanh – Tham Luong) by December 2025, paving the way for construction to begin.

This information was detailed in a report by the Department of Transport, recently submitted to the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, outlining the implementation plan for Resolution No. 188 of the National Assembly.

This resolution introduces special mechanisms and policies to accelerate the development of the city's urban railway network.

Under the metro development plan, Ho Chi Minh City aims to simultaneously invest in and complete seven metro lines covering 355 kilometers over the next decade, with an estimated budget of $40.2 billion.

By 2045, the total metro network is expected to expand to 510 kilometers. Future metro lines will feature increased underground sections to reduce land clearance costs, accelerate construction, and optimize urban underground space following the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) model.

According to the Department of Transport’s draft implementation plan, the city has outlined a roadmap involving multiple workstreams to ensure effective execution under the new policy framework.

These include establishing legal frameworks, preparing investment plans, managing project execution, strengthening the organizational structure of metro management agencies, and developing human resources for urban rail operations.

For Metro Line 2 (Ben Thanh – Tham Luong) specifically, the city is prioritizing procedural completion to initiate construction by late 2025. The roadmap includes reviewing and transitioning project funding from Official Development Assistance (ODA) to public investment by April 2025.

By June, the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board (MAUR) must finalize the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study and the feasibility study report. The Department of Transport and the project evaluation council will then conduct assessments and submit the feasibility study for approval by August.

In September, the People’s Committee will formally approve the feasibility report, followed by contractor selection and groundbreaking in December.

Metro Line 2, initially approved in 2010, spans 11 kilometers across six districts (Districts 1, 3, 10, 12, Tan Binh, and Tan Phu), with nine underground stations and one elevated station.

The original completion date was set for 2026, but due to delays, the timeline has been revised to 2030. The project’s budget has also increased from $1.3 billion to $2.1 billion (approximately 26 trillion VND to nearly 47.9 trillion VND).

Tuan Kiet