The Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board (MAUR) has been seeking the municipal administration’s permission to lease part of a seven-story office building intended for metro line No. 2 that currently houses a mere 30 employees.

Accordingly, a portion of the building area will continue to be allocated for metro line staff, while the remaining space will be auctioned for lease in compliance with legal regulations to increase the city budget’s revenue.

The Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railways No. 1 Company Limited is recommended to manage this lease.

Nestled in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City, the building has been operational since 2020. 

Yet, its seven-story structure with a basement currently accommodates only 30 officials from the metro line project management board – a stark illustration of inefficiency and underutilization. 

This structure was built with an approved project estimate exceeding VND225.4 billion (US$9.1 million), inclusive of value-added tax. 

As plans for the construction of metro line No. 2 progress, the building holds promise as the future Operations Control Center and a hub for Tham Luong depot operations of the route, expected to employ about 100 individuals by 2030.

However, with its current state of low occupancy highlighted by reports from MAUR, the building’s potential remains largely untapped. 

On March 12, the People’s Committee of District 3 in Ho Chi Minh City conducted a ceremony to transfer cleared land to the investor of metro line No. 2, which will stretch from Ben Thanh Market in District 1 to the Tham Luong Bridge in District 12. 

District 3 marks the final locality among the six districts involved in the metro line No. 2 project to hand over cleared sites to the investor, with 90 percent of the required land for the entire project now delivered. 

Spanning approximately 11.3km and traversing District 1, District 3, District 10, District 12, Tan Binh District, and Tan Phu District, the metro line will feature nine underground and two aboveground stations along its 9.3km underground segment and 2km elevated stretch.

The project, estimated to cost VND47.9 trillion ($1.95 billion), is financed through a combination of official development assistance funds and reciprocal capital from the city.

Construction commenced on the first contract package on June 22, 2023 and a completion target is set for 2030 for the whole route.

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