On the afternoon of February 14, the National Assembly discussed a number of contents, including the draft resolution of the National Assembly to pilot a number of specific and special mechanisms and policies to develop the urban railway network system in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

People's expectations do not stop at metro line 1

Giving her opinion in the discussion group, Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council Nguyen Thi Le said that the city is a special urban area, the largest economic center in the country, with a population of more than 10 million people and a rapid urbanization rate.

Ms. Le stated: Reality shows that without a modern, high-capacity public transport system, especially urban railways, the city will find it difficult to completely solve traffic congestion, environmental pollution and infrastructure overload.

She pointed out that after a long wait, metro line No. 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) was officially put into operation on December 22, 2024 and quickly became effective, receiving very positive reception.

This is reflected in the higher than expected number of passengers using the service, contributing to significantly reducing traffic pressure in the eastern part of the city.

This shows that people are willing to switch to using public transport if the metro system is invested in properly, conveniently, synchronously and on schedule.

However, Ms. Le pointed out that people's expectations have not stopped at metro line 1. Metro line 2 (Ben Thanh - Tham Luong) has completed site clearance, but there is still no strong enough mechanism to quickly implement investment and construction.

This is a metro line that passes through many high-density residential areas, and is the backbone that helps reduce traffic pressure in the north-west area of ​​Ho Chi Minh City.

"Therefore, the early commencement of construction of this metro line is an urgent requirement of the city and a great expectation of the people of the city and neighboring areas," Ms. Le emphasized.

Research on establishing a fund to develop Ho Chi Minh City metro

Regarding the remaining metro lines, according to Ms. Le, they are still only at the planning level and cannot be implemented due to lack of resources and implementation mechanisms.

Without breakthrough solutions, the metro system will continue to be a paper project, unable to be invested in soon to play a real role in modernizing the urban transport system of Ho Chi Minh City.

Therefore, after the Politburo issued Conclusion 49 in February 2023, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi agreed to build a special, specific mechanism and submit it to the Ministry of Transport to preside over, synthesize, and submit it to the Government and the National Assembly.

The content of these mechanisms is a strong breakthrough, ensuring speeding up progress and exploiting land funds along the route.

This allows Ho Chi Minh City to flexibly mobilize capital, including issuing urban bonds, exploiting land funds along metro lines (TOD model - urban development oriented towards public transport). Allocate capital from the central budget for metro lines.

Allow the application of a bidding mechanism to shorten implementation time. Simplify investment approval procedures, helping the city be more proactive in project implementation.

At the same time, it has decentralized the decision on investment and implementation of metro projects to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The city has been given the right to decide on the method of selecting contractors and investors to speed up the implementation progress.

Piloting a special mechanism on investment procedures, helping Ho Chi Minh City be more proactive in calling for and implementing urban railway projects.

Therefore, Ms. Le agreed with the contents of the project and proposed that the National Assembly consider and approve these special, specific mechanisms to speed up the progress of metro construction and exploitation, especially metro line 2 and subsequent lines.

After the project was approved by the National Assembly, Ms. Le said that the city leaders will immediately implement the tasks.

Specifically, develop a specific plan and roadmap, with a clear progress commitment from now until 2035 for 7 metro lines with a length of 355km.

Research on establishing a fund to develop Ho Chi Minh City metro, with the participation of central, local and private sector budgets.

Continue to coordinate with neighboring localities to accelerate research and implementation of inter-regional metro lines, creating a foundation for a modern transportation system for the entire Southeast region.