A city-wide subway system (195 km by the year of 2020) is planned for Ho Chi Minh City, in southern Vietnam (formerly known as Saigon). The population in the metropolitan area is about 3.5 million.
According to the master plan announced in February 2001, the inner metro system will comprise the following routes:
- Northwest-Southeast (46.86km long with 44 stops)
- Inner Belt (43.14km, 45 stops)
- Tan Son Nhat (9.3km, nine stops)
- Hoa Hung-Hanoi Highway-Thu Thiem (21km, 18 stops)
- Ben Thanh-District 2-District 9-Thu Duc (27.5 km, 18 stops)
- Bien Hoa-Binh Chanh-Hoa Hung (46 km, 42 stops)
The master plan for the metro project also includes the development of routes running outside HCM City. These include the 43km Long Binh-Hoc Mon route, the Hoc Mon-Binh Chanh-Tien Giang route, the Thu Duc-Long Binh-Long Thanh-Vung Tau route and the Thu Thiem-Long Binh Vung Tau route.
Two priority lines:
1) Quang Trung - Tan Son Nhat - Ben Thanh Line: 10 km, half surface, half underground
2) Ben Thanh - Binh Tay Market Line: 7 km , 8 stations, all underground
Platform length: 125 m
Average station distance: 700 - 1,300 m
Max speed: 80 km/h
Headway: 4 min. (min. 2 min.)
Gauge: 1,435 mm
Car width: 3 m
Construction start - 2005
QUOTE
Monday - Jul. 05, 2004
A pre-feasibility study for an investment project to build two metros in HCM City at a cost of 795 million USD has finished.
The two subway lines with a total length of 20.594 km will be built along two corridors of high traffic density: the North-South railway line (M1) and the East-West railway line (M2). Both M1 and M2 will start at a common station on Ham Nghi boulevard.
M1 will have 11 stations, including nine underground stations, an elevated one, and one on the ground. M2 will have five underground stations and six elevated ones.
The Metro system will be capable of carrying 73.73 million passengers a year in the first stage, and 203.67 million passengers a year later.
Of the total investment of 795 million USD, 20.93 million USD or 26 percent will be for ground clearance. The city's budget will provide 30 percent (238.5 million USD) for the project and the remaining investment will be loaned by the German government, a Chinese railway construction group, the Austrian government and German banks.
Work on construction of the railway lines is expected to start at the end of this year and to be completed in 2008. (VNA)
A pre-feasibility study for an investment project to build two metros in HCM City at a cost of 795 million USD has finished.
The two subway lines with a total length of 20.594 km will be built along two corridors of high traffic density: the North-South railway line (M1) and the East-West railway line (M2). Both M1 and M2 will start at a common station on Ham Nghi boulevard.
M1 will have 11 stations, including nine underground stations, an elevated one, and one on the ground. M2 will have five underground stations and six elevated ones.
The Metro system will be capable of carrying 73.73 million passengers a year in the first stage, and 203.67 million passengers a year later.
Of the total investment of 795 million USD, 20.93 million USD or 26 percent will be for ground clearance. The city's budget will provide 30 percent (238.5 million USD) for the project and the remaining investment will be loaned by the German government, a Chinese railway construction group, the Austrian government and German banks.
Work on construction of the railway lines is expected to start at the end of this year and to be completed in 2008. (VNA)
QUOTE
Metro Project Prepared
A sense of urgency is growing as time goes by and HCM looks for a start to its people-moving project
HCM City People's Committee has established a management board for two priority metro projects affiliated with HCM City Service of Communications and Public Works. The move aims to accelerate the progress of the projects, scheduled for construction from 2004 to 2008.
Do Tien Luc, vice-director of the service, says the two priority metro routes are Ben Thanh Market-Cach Mang Thang Tam Street-Tham Luong, and Ben Thanh Market-Nguyen Thi Minh Khai-Tran Phu-Hung Vuong-Hong Bang-Kinh Duong Vuong-Western Bus Terminal. The HCM City government submitted the projects to the Prime Minister late last year.
"The two metro routes will run underground, overland and in the sky, with a total length of 20.6 kilometers." Luc says. The estimated investment cost of US$800 million will cover rails, locomotives, carriages, a central station in Ben Thanh Market, a depot in Binh Chanh District, a large station in District 12, underground and elevated stations, related equipment and construction. The two routes will be able to transport 22,000-27,600 passengers each hour in each direction during peak hours. Both have been surveyed by Siemens and their pre-feasibility studies have been completed.
The service has received missions from France, Germany, Japan, China and other countries that came to study metro projects in HCM City, but most were purely exploratory. Only Siemens has signed with the city government a memorandum of understanding on financing the feasibility studies for the two metro routes. The studies have been submitted to the city government for forwarding to the central Government. If the Government approves the studies that Siemens conducted, the company will be given the privilege of being the contractor and equipment supplier. "Siemens has also pledged to seek funds for the projects," Luc says.
According to Siemens, it will take at least three years to complete construction of the two routes. The time will be four years should anything unexpected occur. In a meeting with the chairman of HCM City People's Committee last week, Siemens representatives said that if the central Government approved the two priority metro routes, the company would immediately undertake the feasibility studies and technical designs. This work will be completed in a year. So, construction can start only in early 2005 at the earliest," Luc says.
On its part, the city government is proceeding with preparation for site clearance and compensation, at least at two sites for the depot in Binh Chanh and the large station in District 12. Work on these two items may start this year if approved by the Government, Luc says.
The key issue for the metro projects is not technology, but capital, he says. The city government can cover only 30% of the US$800 million needed to pay for site clearance and compensation. The rest must be sourced from loans. Early next month, a mission of senior Vietnamese officials will visit Germany and discuss funding for the two priority metro routes.
Source: The Saigon Times Weekly - 28 Feb 2004
Date: 03/28/2004
A sense of urgency is growing as time goes by and HCM looks for a start to its people-moving project
HCM City People's Committee has established a management board for two priority metro projects affiliated with HCM City Service of Communications and Public Works. The move aims to accelerate the progress of the projects, scheduled for construction from 2004 to 2008.
Do Tien Luc, vice-director of the service, says the two priority metro routes are Ben Thanh Market-Cach Mang Thang Tam Street-Tham Luong, and Ben Thanh Market-Nguyen Thi Minh Khai-Tran Phu-Hung Vuong-Hong Bang-Kinh Duong Vuong-Western Bus Terminal. The HCM City government submitted the projects to the Prime Minister late last year.
"The two metro routes will run underground, overland and in the sky, with a total length of 20.6 kilometers." Luc says. The estimated investment cost of US$800 million will cover rails, locomotives, carriages, a central station in Ben Thanh Market, a depot in Binh Chanh District, a large station in District 12, underground and elevated stations, related equipment and construction. The two routes will be able to transport 22,000-27,600 passengers each hour in each direction during peak hours. Both have been surveyed by Siemens and their pre-feasibility studies have been completed.
The service has received missions from France, Germany, Japan, China and other countries that came to study metro projects in HCM City, but most were purely exploratory. Only Siemens has signed with the city government a memorandum of understanding on financing the feasibility studies for the two metro routes. The studies have been submitted to the city government for forwarding to the central Government. If the Government approves the studies that Siemens conducted, the company will be given the privilege of being the contractor and equipment supplier. "Siemens has also pledged to seek funds for the projects," Luc says.
According to Siemens, it will take at least three years to complete construction of the two routes. The time will be four years should anything unexpected occur. In a meeting with the chairman of HCM City People's Committee last week, Siemens representatives said that if the central Government approved the two priority metro routes, the company would immediately undertake the feasibility studies and technical designs. This work will be completed in a year. So, construction can start only in early 2005 at the earliest," Luc says.
On its part, the city government is proceeding with preparation for site clearance and compensation, at least at two sites for the depot in Binh Chanh and the large station in District 12. Work on these two items may start this year if approved by the Government, Luc says.
The key issue for the metro projects is not technology, but capital, he says. The city government can cover only 30% of the US$800 million needed to pay for site clearance and compensation. The rest must be sourced from loans. Early next month, a mission of senior Vietnamese officials will visit Germany and discuss funding for the two priority metro routes.
Source: The Saigon Times Weekly - 28 Feb 2004
Date: 03/28/2004
HCM City authorities are planning to spend $15mil to bolster its fleet of new public buses this year. 
