A rendering of the Bến Thành-Thủ Thiêm railway line. — Photo courtesy of Thaco

HCM CITY — An updated plan for a proposed rail line linking central HCM City with Long Thành International Airport in the southern province of Đồng Nai has raised the estimated first-phase investment to VNĐ134.2 trillion (US$5.1 billion), with trains designed to run at up to 120km per hour and carry nearly 47,000 passengers an hour.

The updated details are contained in the feasibility study, including front-end engineering design (FEED), prepared by Đại Quang Minh Real Estate Investment JSC and now being appraised by relevant authorities.

The project is among major works HCM City plans to break ground on around the National Day holiday on September 2, according to the study.

The proposed Thủ Thiêm-Long Thành line would stretch about 46.44km from the eastern end of Thủ Thiêm Station on the Bến Thành-Thủ Thiêm line in Bình Trưng Ward, HCM City, to the Cẩm Đường depot in Xuân Đường Commune, Đồng Nai Province.

About 11km would run underground and 34.5km on elevated structures, with the remainder consisting of transitional and ground-level sections.

The line would have 18 stations, including 16 elevated and two underground stations, excluding Thủ Thiêm Station. The first phase would build 14 stations to optimise investment efficiency.

Six stations would be located in HCM City: Bình Trưng, Đỗ Xuân Hợp, Vành đai 2, Phú Hữu, Long Trường and Vườn Dừa; while eight would be in Đồng Nai: Long Tân, Phú Thạnh, Tuy Hạ, Nhơn Trạch, Phước Thiền, Xóm Gốc, Long Thành 1 and Long Thành 2.

The route would run along major transport corridors, including expressways and Vành đai 3, and connect with six other railway lines to form a high-capacity transport network serving Long Thành airport.

It would connect with the Bến Thành-Thủ Thiêm line at Thủ Thiêm Station, Metro Line 6 at Vành đai 2 and Phú Hữu stations, and Metro Line 10 at Long Trường Station.

The project would also link with the Vũng Tàu-Bà Rịa-Phú Mỹ railway at Xóm Gốc Station, as well as the extended Bến Thành-Suối Tiên line and the North-South high-speed railway at Long Thành airport.

The line is designed for a maximum capacity of nearly 47,000 passengers per hour, with average capacity of more than 23,400 passengers per hour in each direction.

Trains would have a maximum design speed of 120kph and operate at between 80kph and 110kph, depending on the section.

The project would use GoA4 automated operation, the highest level under European standards, similar to the system planned for the Tham Lương-Bến Thành-Thủ Thiêm metro corridor.

The first-phase investment is estimated at VNĐ134.2 trillion, excluding land clearance costs. The figure is higher than the VNĐ84.7-trillion proposal reported in 2024, when the planned line was described as 48 km long with a maximum speed of 110 kph.

The project is expected to be implemented under a build-transfer (BT) contract, with the investor mobilising capital and receiving payment through land funds combined with State budget funding.

The line is expected to be completed by 2030, providing a direct high-capacity rail connection between central HCM City and Long Thành International Airport.

HCM City has plans for more than 1,000km of urban railway lines but currently operates only the nearly 20-km Bến Thành-Suối Tiên line.

The city aims to expand its urban railway network to 255km by 2030.

Other projects being prepared include the Bình Dương New City-Suối Tiên line, the first phase of Metro Line 6 from Tân Sơn Nhất Airport to Phú Hữu, the Thủ Dầu Một-Tao Đàn line and Metro Line 2’s Tham Lương-An Hạ-Northwestern Urban Area section. — VNS