HCMC to consider extending first subway line to neighboring provinces

By Huu Cong October 26, 2016 | 01:17 am PT

Construction of Ho Chi Minh City's first metro line. Photo by VnExpress/Duy Tran

Binh Duong and Dong Nai want to get onto the southern hub's network.

Ho Chi Minh City may extend its first subway line to the neighboring provinces of Binh Duong and Dong Nai, upon the latter’s request.

The city's first subway line was originally designed to run 20 kilometers from Ben Thanh Market in the city center to the Suoi Tien theme park in District 9.

But the project's managers have asked the city's leaders to meet with officials from Binh Duong and Dong Nai next month to discuss stretching the line two kilometers to the north and building another terminal at the border with the two provinces.

The city has also been asked to consider building lines from the proposed terminal to the provincial capitals of Di An and Bien Hoa.

The subway line has initial total investment of $2.49 billion, more than 88 percent of which came from Japanese official development assistance, while the rest was covered by the city’s budget.

It was initially scheduled for completion in 2018, but the deadline has been pushed back to 2020 due to site clearance delays.

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