The central city plans to develop the first urban railway line with a proposal for investment by Thaco Group. Photo courtesy of Lê Lâm

ĐÀ NẴNG — The central city of Đà Nẵng has approved a proposal for an urban railway line connecting the city with Hội An ancient town, Tam Kỳ township, and Chu Lai industrial and economic zone.

The system will be built and funded by the private multi-industries group Trường Hải (Thaco Group).

Director of the city’s Finance Department, Trần Thị Thanh Tâm, said Thaco had studied the project and issued proposals on investment and construction.

In a working session with the central city’s committee, Chairman of Thaco Group Trần Bá Dương said it is working with a South Korean partner, Hyundai Rotem, over the implementation of the second urban railway line covering on 103km.

He said Đại Quang Minh Company, a member of Thaco Group, can start the project in the first quarter of 2027 and the line can be operational in 2032.

The urban railway line would be built in two phases with an investment of VNĐ265.9 trillion (US$10.6 billion).

In the first phase, a 30.2km section, will link Đà Nẵng International Airport and Hội An, while the second section will cover a 73.6km stretch from Hội An to Chu Lai.

The network form parts of Đà Nẵng long-term transport development plan.

A total of 16 routes have been proposed, including 11 LRT lines, three tourism LRT routes and two MRT lines, with a total length of 204.7km listed in the 2031–40 Master Plan to support future traffic and tourism growth.

The two urban rail routes will reduce travel time from Đà Nẵng to Hội An (a distance of about 30km) to 20 minutes, and to the Chu Lai industrial zone (90km) to 40 minutes.

Last year, Đèo Cả Group also submitted a plan to develop the city’s urban railway system through a joint venture of key investors, including Kita Group, Futa Group, China Design Group, CRRC Chongqing, Arup, A2Z and Kim Long Motors, with financial support from private banks VPBank and TPBank.

Đà Nẵng City, which set to become a ‘smart’, liveable urban area in 2050, also plans to upgrade Chu Lai International Airport with an investment of $10 billion. — VNS