Ho Chi Minh City plans to start four metro lines by the end of the year. Photo: Le Toan

The first line, which connects Binh Duong New City with Suoi Tien, covers a length of over 32km, with an estimated investment of $2.18 billion. The line will pass through seven wards.

Meanwhile, the Thu Dau Mot to Ho Chi Minh City line will run for about 35km, linking Binh Duong with central Ho Chi Minh City. The entire line will pass through 18 wards and include 24 stations. Its estimated investment is about $4.68 billion.

Another major undertaking, scheduled to begin in Q4, is metro line 6, which will link Tan Son Nhat International Airport with Phu Huu. The nearly 23km line will pass through 13 wards, with about 19km underground and the remainder elevated. It will have 17 stations and a preliminary estimated investment of $3.43 billion.

The fourth line, also scheduled to begin construction by the end of 2026, is the north-western urban area section of metro line 2. It will be about 30km long, with a preliminary estimated investment of $3.37 billion.

Construction has already begun on the Ben Thanh-Tham Luong and Ben Thanh-Thu Thiem sections of Metro Line 2, laying the groundwork for its extension towards the north-west. Once completed and fully integrated, Metro Line 2 will create an urban rail corridor running from south-east to north-west, helping drive the development of new urban areas and satellite cities.

The city has identified eight priority urban railway lines for investment, with a combined length of approximately 255km, all targeted for completion by 2030. The plan is intended to meet the objectives set out in Resolution No.09-NQ/TW on the construction and development of Ho Chi Minh City.

The city has also mapped out additional lines to be completed by 2035. These include the Ben Thanh to An Ha section of metro lines 1 and 3 (Tao Dan to An Ha as well as connections for Vung Tau, Ba Ria, and Phu My), Metro Line 4 (Dong Thanh to Hiep Phuoc), Metro Line 5 (Da Phuoc to Long Truong), phase 2 of Metro Line 6, and Metro Line 7 (Tan Kien to Vinhomes Grand Park).