Ho Chi Minh City plans to complete the building of 183 kilometers of urban railways with six lines and 148 stations by 2035 at a total cost of nearly VND824.5 trillion (US$32.3 billion), heard the 17th sitting of the municipal People’s Council on Monday morning.

The city aims to have 351 kilometers of urban railways by 2045 and 510 kilometers of rail lines by 2060, according to a report prepared by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee.

Tran Quang Lam, director of the municipal Department of Transport, said that the city had basically finished the draft of an urban railway development project for 2030 with a vision to 2045.

Lam added that the project focuses on proposing special policies and mechanisms on planning, land reclamation, compensation and resettlement, construction and investment procedures, technical standards, and management to smooth the path for the development of the city’s metro line system.

He explained that the current construction regulations and laws are inadequate for the evolving needs of infrastructure development in such a densely populated city.

“Ho Chi Minh City is one of the world’s 18 densest cities, but it is the only city among these places to have no metro lines,” Lam said.

Therefore, it is vital to establish special mechanisms and policies on traffic infrastructure development for the city, he added.

Lam also revealed that the state capital will serve as the primary funding source for the project, with official development assistance loans being used for a few specific components.

If the project is passed, the city will start implementing six lines simultaneously during the 2027-28 period.

The city resolves to have 183 kilometers of urban railways by 2035.

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