HCMC – The HCMC government has suggested constructing five railways connecting the city with Long An, Tay Ninh, Can Tho and Dong Nai Province’s Long Thanh International Airport as well as a high-speed railway on the North-South route in the next decade to boost regional economic development.
The city has approved a logistics development plan for HCMC until 2025 with a vision toward 2030, targeting that by 2025, the city will become a trade hub connecting localities, contributing to reducing the ratio of logistics costs to gross domestic product by 10%-15%, the local media reported.
To achieve this target, a modern railway system to transport cargo smoothly and connect important seaports in HCMC and the southern region should be developed.
Specifically, the HCMC-My Tho-Can Tho railway, which was initially planned to be over 173 kilometers long with 14 stations and two depots, would pass through six provinces and cities — Binh Duong, HCMC, Long An, Tien Giang, Vinh Long and Can Tho. The railway’s first cargo station will be located in Di An City of Binh Duong Province, while its first passenger station will be in HCMC’s Binh Chanh District. It will end in Can Tho City’s Cai Rang District.
Meanwhile, the HCMC-Tay Ninh route will connect with the HCMC-My Tho-Can Tho railway at Tan Chanh Hiep station in District 12. The railway will have a total length of 139 kilometers, of which a 40-kilometer section from Tan Chanh Hiep station to Trang Bang station in Tay Ninh Province will be developed first.
In addition, a 37-kilometer railway linking Thu Thiem station in HCMC’s District 2 and the Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai Province was scheduled to include 19 stations to serve passengers who want to travel to the airport.
As for the high-speed railway on the North-South route, construction on the 366-kilometer HCMC-Nha Trang section will be prioritized first. A section from Thu Thiem to Binh Son station in Dong Nai with a length of 32 kilometers will be a high-speed section.
Moreover, a 30-kilometer double-track railway linking the national railway and Hiep Phuoc Port in HCMC’s Nha Be District and Long An Port was proposed to transport cargo only. It was designed to link Long Dinh station in Long An’s Can Duoc District and Hiep Phuoc Port.
These railways, once complete, will help reduce logistics costs, enhance connectivity in the southern key economic zone and the Mekong Delta and improve the transport of cargo and passengers.
At present, the country has only the North-South railway with outdated infrastructure, hindering the transport of cargo and passengers.
