Metro Line 2 (Ben Thanh - Tham Luong) is over 11 km long, running underground through 6 districts: 1, 3, 10, 12, Tan Binh and Tan Phu.
The total area to be cleared is more than 251,000 m2, with 585 households and organizations affected.
On May 26, the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board (MAUR) said that the project's site clearance work had reached 99.83%. Of the total 585 cases, 584 cases have handed over the site.
The remaining case is the public land - headquarters of District 3 Police, which is still waiting for completion of legal procedures to be handed over between the Ministry of Public Security and Ho Chi Minh City Police.
However, Ho Chi Minh City Police have agreed to provide temporary support to serve the construction of the technical infrastructure outside the headquarters fence within 4 months. MAUR said it will continue to coordinate with District 3 People's Committee to soon complete the handover of the remaining site.
In parallel with site clearance, the relocation of technical infrastructure to serve the construction of Metro Line 2 is also being implemented at all 12/12 locations.
The items that need to be relocated include electrical systems, water supply and drainage, telecommunications, traffic lights, lighting, trees, traffic signs, etc.
However, according to MAUR, the relocation of technical infrastructure is facing many difficulties due to the limited construction space in urban areas, overlapping items and involving many management units, affecting the implementation progress.
The Metro No. 2 project was approved in 2010 with an initial total investment of about 1.3 billion USD (equivalent to 26,000 billion VND at that time). However, by 2019, the total investment had been adjusted to increase to more than 2 billion USD (equivalent to 47,900 billion VND).
The initial capital is expected to come mainly from ODA loans from three international donors: the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the German Confederation of Labor (KfW) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). However, due to the long project progress, all 5 loan agreements have now expired.
Therefore, it is necessary to carry out procedures to stop using ODA capital and foreign preferential loans for the project, and at the same time adjust it to use public investment capital to implement Resolution No. 188 of the National Assembly on piloting a number of specific mechanisms and policies, especially the development of urban railway systems in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has proposed that the Prime Minister consider and soon decide to stop using ODA capital for Metro Line 2 project.
Currently, Ho Chi Minh City is making efforts to complete legal procedures, clear land and relocate technical infrastructure, arrange capital with the goal of starting the construction of Metro Line 2 in December 2025. The project is expected to be completed and put into operation by the end of 2030.
Metro Line 2 is the second urban railway line in Ho Chi Minh City, after Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) which has been put into commercial operation since the end of 2024.
When completed, Metro Line 2 will play an important role in connecting the central area of Ho Chi Minh City with the Northwest, contributing to reducing traffic pressure on major routes such as Cach Mang Thang Tam, Truong Chinh, Cong Hoa...
