Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has just issued a decision to establish an Appraisal Council for the Feasibility Study Report of the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh urban railway project.
The appraisal council consists of 21 members, chaired by Mr. Tran Quang Lam - Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction; Mr. Ngo Hoang Minh - Deputy Director of the Department of Finance as Vice Chairman of the Council.
According to the decision, the Council has the task of appraising the Project Feasibility Study Report according to the provisions of the Investment Law in the form of public-private partnership (PPP) and guiding decrees of the Government.
The appraisal result report must fully assess each content of the project, clearly state the unified and unconified opinions and propose handling plans for the contents that need to be supplemented and completed before submitting to competent authorities.
According to the research plan, the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line is about 47.7 km long, passing through Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai, directly connecting the city center with Long Thanh International Airport.
The entire route is designed with 18 stations, including 2 underground stations and 16 elevated stations.
However, based on the actual needs and development orientations of the two localities, Ho Chi Minh City proposes to invest in 14 stations in the first phase, including: Binh Trung, Do Xuan Hop, Ba Hien, Phu Huu, Long Truong, Vuon Dua, Long Tan, Phu Thanh, Tuy Ha, Nhon Trach, Phuoc Thien, Xom Goc, Long Thanh 1 and Long Thanh 2.
The railway line starts from Thu Thiem station, goes elevated through Binh Trung and Long Truong wards, then runs parallel to the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway.
When reaching the Ring Road 3 intersection area, the route will change direction to the south, go along the east side of this road and then cross the Dong Nai River in the area on the left side of Nhon Trach bridge.
When entering Dong Nai territory, the line continues to go elevated along the left side of Ring Road 3, then moves into the median strip between road 25B.
The route will cross National Highway 51, Bien Hoa - Vung Tau expressway intersection, continue to run in the median strip between T1 road before going underground into the planned railway area of Long Thanh airport and ending at Cam Duong depot.
To implement the project, it is expected to recover more than 144 hectares of land. Compensation and site clearance work will be separated into an independent component project, using the budgets of Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai for implementation.
The project currently has a preliminary total investment of about 17,5 trillion VND, expected to be implemented in the form of BT (build - transfer).
Ho Chi Minh City sets a target to start the project on September this year, complete construction and put it into operation in 2030.
When put into operation, the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line is expected to become a large volume transport axis, shortening travel time between the center of Ho Chi Minh City and Long Thanh airport.
