The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has just approved the investment policy and approved Vinspeed High-speed Railway Investment and Development Joint Stock Company (under Vingroup Corporation) as the investor of the Ben Thanh - Can Gio Metro project.
According to the decision, the Ben Thanh - Can Gio Metro line is more than 54 km long, built with a standard double track gauge of 1,435 mm, operated by an electrification system. The designed route allows trains to run at a maximum speed of 350km/h.
The starting point is at 23/9 Park (Ben Thanh Ward) and ending at the 39-hectare land plot bordering Can Gio coastal urban tourism area (Can Gio Commune).
The project passes through wards and communes including: Ben Thanh, Khanh Hoi, Xom Chieu, Tan Thuan, Tan My, Nha Be, Binh Khanh, An Thoi Dong and Can Gio.
Phase 1 will build two main stations, Ben Thanh and Can Gio; the remaining four stations, Tan Thuan, Tan My, Nha Be and Binh Khanh, will be deployed when needed. The depot and OCC operation center are both expected to be located in Can Gio.
The metro line will operate 6 regular trains and one reserve train, with a total of 56 cars.
The system operates from 6am to 11pm every day, with a frequency of 20 minutes between trips. There will be three pairs of trains running in two directions per hour. The total running time is only about 20.3 minutes.
Ben Thanh - Can Gio Metro has a total preliminary investment of about VND 102,430 billion, excluding site clearance costs of about VND 12,784 billion allocated by the state budget.
The project has an operating period of 70 years from the date of issuance of the investment policy decision. The total land area to be used is about 328 hectares, including the railway protection corridor.
Compensation and site clearance are expected to start from the fourth quarter of 2025.
After the land is handed over, the investor will start construction within 30 months to put the project into operation in 2028 (not including 4 stations in phase 2).
According to the plan, the Ben Thanh - Can Gio Metro will start construction on December 19.
Can Gio is located about 50 km from the center of Ho Chi Minh City and is currently mainly connected via Binh Khanh ferry.
However, this ferry route has been overloaded for many years, especially on weekends when the number of vehicles increases dramatically, causing vehicles to often have to wait in line to cross the river for a long time.
In addition, the Can Gio coastal urban tourism area with a scale of 2,870 hectares is being implemented, with a planned population of 228,506 people and an expected number of visitors of nearly 9 million/year. The demand for traffic connecting to this urban area and the entire Can Gio district in the future is very large.
To solve the problem of infrastructure and create a smooth connection axis towards the sea, in addition to the Ben Thanh - Can Gio Metro line, Ho Chi Minh City is preparing to invest in a series of large transport projects.
Can Gio bridge projects to replace Binh Khanh ferry; Rung Sac road intersection with Ben Luc - Long Thanh expressway; sea-crossing route connecting Can Gio - Vung Tau are all planned to start construction in 2026.
