HCMC to relocate utility lines by year end to start work on 2nd metro route

The relocation is one of the key tasks in preparing the construction site, and it has seen around 60% completion after more than a year of work, Phan Cong Bang, head of the HCMC Urban Railway Management Board (MAUR), which manages all metro-related works, said Sunday.

The work is being carried out simultaneously at 12 locations along the Ben Thanh – Tham Luong route, including at 10 station sites and two open-cut sections.

Land was acquired and cleared for the entire project last March.

Initially the contractors will relocate the water and drainage, electricity and telecom lines within a five-meter-wide corridor along the route before later housing them permanently underground and reconstructing the electricity and telecommunications systems.

As the metro line will run along busy streets in the city center, construction is mainly carried out at night to minimize disruption faced by the public.

The Ben Thanh – Tham Luong metro route will run 11 km with nine underground stations and one above ground.

It will pass through and under roads like Truong Chinh and Cach Mang Thang Tam, ending at the underground Ben Thanh station in the downtown area.

HCMC's first metro line from Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien became operational last December.

The second route is expected to cost over VND47.8 trillion (US$2 billion). It was initially scheduled for completion in 2026 but several obstacles means it has been delayed until 2030.

The government last week approved the city's proposal not to depend on official development assistance loans from Germany bank KfW and instead use domestic funds to avoid further delays in construction.