Implementation plan for the US$3.4 billion Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway project

The railway project aims to connect the under-construction Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai Province with Ho Chi Minh City and develop urban areas along the route.

A consortium of Vietnamese firms, TEDI, TRICC, and TEDIS, suggested that the metro line will span 48.2 kilometers, with 41.8 kilometers for the main route (11.7 kilometers in Ho Chi Minh City and 30.8 kilometers in Dong Nai) and 4.4 kilometers for the depot connection in Long Thanh District.

The project will begin at the Thu Thiem Station in Thu Duc City and end at Long Thanh International Airport.

Over US$3.4 billion is needed for Thu Thiem-Long Thanh railway project in southern Vietnam. (Photo: AI ChatGPT)

The project will feature both elevated and underground sections, with stations including four underground near Long Thanh Airport, and two depots - one of 21.4 hectares in Long Thanh for maintenance and one of 1.2 hectares in Thu Duc for minor repairs.

The elevated sections will span 30.67 kilometers, accounting for 66.34 percent of the total route.

Tunnel sections will cover 15.13 kilometers, making up 32.73 percent, while ground-level sections will stretch for 430 meters, or 0.93 percent.

There will be 20 stations along the route, including 16 elevated stations and four underground stations.

The project will also include Cam Duong Depot, which will span 21.4 hectares in Long Thanh District, Dong Nai Province and the 1.2 hectare Thu Thiem Depot at the namesake station.

The consulting unit – a consortium of Transport Engineering Design Inc. and South Transport Engineering Design Joint Stock Incorporated – proposed developing the Thu Thiem-Long Thanh railway under the mass rapid transport model with a designed speed of 90 kilometers per hour in tunnels and 120 kilometers per hour on the rest of the route.

Between 2035 and 2045, the line will operate with nine four-car trains, increasing to 28 trains between 2045 and 2055, and eventually using 31 six-car trains after 2055. The trains will employ distributed power technology, similar to that of the north-south high-speed railway.

The route will have the capacity to carry 30,000 to 40,000 passengers per hour in each direction.

The total investment for the Thu Thiem – Long Thanh railway is estimated at VND84.752 trillion, excluding loan interest, with VND5.5 trillion allocated for land clearance and resettlement.

The proposal suggests using state funds and bonds for land clearance and construction, while ODA loans would be used for purchasing trains and ticketing systems.

Some 140.11 hectares of land from 302 households will be cleared to make room for the project. The site clearance work will be conducted from the second quarter of 2026.

If approved, construction is expected to begin by late 2026, the equipment for the project is scheduled for purchase between 2028 and 2029, with the aim of launching operations in 2030.

The project, once completed, will connect with the second metro line in Ho Chi Minh City at Thu Thiem Station, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Railway at SI8 Station, and the North-South high-speed railway at Thu Thiem and Long Thanh Stations.

The Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway will run parallel in the right of the Ho Chi Minh City - Long Thành - Dau Giay Expressway and the North - South high-speed railway project.

After cutting through Beltway No. 3 in Ho Chi Minh City, the rail route will go parallel in the left of the beltway, across the Dong Nai River, continue to run parallel with Beltway No.3, turn left and run in the median strip of provincial road 25B in Dong Nai Province.

Upon reaching Long An Commune in Long Thanh District, the route will transition underground, continuing along the railway corridor leading to Long Thanh International Airport.

Currently, the connection between Long Thanh airport and the center of Ho Chi Minh City is only the overloaded Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressway, while other road projects such as Ben Luc - Long Thanh, Bien Hoa - Vung Tau are still being implemented.

This project has also been included in the planning for the construction of the railway network for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050.

Accordingly, by 2030, the Southern region will have 4 railway lines including Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho route from An Binh station to Cai Rang station, 174 km long; Ho Chi Minh City - Loc Ninh route from Di An station to the Vietnam - Cambodia border (Hoa Lu border gate) 128 km long; Bien Hoa - Vung Tau from Trang Bom station to Vung Tau station, 84 km long; Thu Thiem - Long Thanh route from Thu Thiem station to Long Thanh international airport serving only passengers, about 38 km long.