HCMC – Work on the first bus rapid transit (BRT) project in HCMC is expected to kick off in early 2022 and put into operation in 2023, according to the HCMC Transportation Works Construction Investment Project Management Authority.
On July 7, the authority said it was completing the technical design for the project and would submit it to the municipal Department of Transport this month, Lao Dong newspaper reported.
This quarter, tenders will be held to choose investors for the project and the suppliers of buses.
At the end of November last year, the HCMC government approved adjustments to its first BRT project. Accordingly, the estimated investment for the project was revised down to nearly VND3.3 trillion, including more than VND2.8 trillion sourced from official development assistance loans and nearly VND423 billion from the city’s reciprocal capital.
The 26-kilometer BRT line, which will run along Vo Van Kiet and Mai Chi Tho boulevards, will start at the An Lac Roundabout in Binh Tan District and end at the Rach Chiec Station in Thu Duc City. It will be connected to the city’s first metro line and the new Mien Tay Coach Station in Binh Chanh once it is in place.
In the initial stage, 42 buses using compressed natural gas with a capacity of 60-72 passengers each will run on the BRT line.
The route will have a designed speed of 60 kilometers per hour. There will be 28 stops, two transit stations and the Rach Chiec station along the route and a 13,000-square-meter depot in the Thu Thiem New Urban Area in Thu Duc City.
