Long Thành Airport is being under construction and expected to be put into operation next year. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City is weighing four potential railway links to connect Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport and the under-construction Long Thành, aiming to create a strategic transport corridor and meet growing passenger demand.

Option 1 connects the two airports via Metro Line No 2 (Tham Lương–Bến Thành, Bến Thành–Thủ Thiêm) and the Thủ Thiêm–Long Thành railway. Passengers from Tân Sơn Nhất Airport would travel to Ba Quẹo Station via Metro Line No 2, then transfer to the Thủ Thiêm–Long Thành line to reach Long Thành Airport in Đồng Nai Province.

Option 2 utilises Metro Line No 6 and the Thủ Thiêm–Long Thành railway. Passengers would take Metro Line No 6 from Tân Sơn Nhất Airport and transfer to the Thủ Thiêm–Long Thành railway at the Phú Hữu junction to continue their journey.

Option 3 involves taking Metro Line No 4 to Bến Thành Station, then transferring to Metro Line No 2 before connecting to the Thủ Thiêm–Long Thành railway.

Option 4 combines Metro Line No 2, Metro Line No 1 (Bến Thành–Suối Tiên) extended to Đồng Nai Province, Đồng Nai’s Metro Line No 2, and the Thủ Thiêm–Long Thành railway. Under this plan, passengers from Tân Sơn Nhất Airport would take Metro Line No 2 to Bến Thành Station, transfer to the extended Metro Line No 1 through Đồng Nai and connect to the Thủ Thiêm–Long Thành line.

The HCM City People’s Committee assessed that the connection via Metro Line No 2 and the Thủ Thiêm–Long Thành railway is the most feasible and advantageous option for early implementation.

The 12 km Bến Thành–Tham Lương section of Metro Line No 2 is being implemented under public investment and is expected to start construction in 2025, with completion before 2032. The Bến Thành–Thủ Thiêm and Tham Lương–Củ Chi sections of Metro Line No 2 are under study for investment preparation during 2026–2030 and 2031–2035 respectively, with full completion targeted by 2035.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Construction has developed a pre-feasibility study for the Thủ Thiêm–Long Thành railway project. Preliminary research identifies it as an urban railway line with a total length of about 42 km, including 11.8 km in HCM City and 30.2 km in Đồng Nai.

The double-track line, with a standard gauge of 1,435 mm, is designed for a speed of 120 km per hour and includes 20 stations (16 elevated and four underground).

City authorities said they will focus on accelerating this connection plan, ensuring synchronised progress, infrastructure and technical standards, with modern, interoperable and upgradeable technologies. The city also proposed that the Prime Minister approve a policy to prioritise the acceleration of Metro Line No 2 and the Thủ Thiêm–Long Thành railway while continuing to invest in Metro Line No 6 to strengthen connectivity.

According to the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), Long Thành International Airport is expected to begin operations in 2026. At that time, if Tân Sơn Nhất Airport handles all domestic flights (about 29.5 million passengers per year) and Long Thành handles international flights (over 19 million passengers per year), estimated passenger transfers between the two airports could reach 1.5 million per year, equivalent to more than 4,000 passengers per day. — VNS