Dong Nai Province has officially agreed on the alignment for a metro line worth more than VND65 trillion connecting Suoi Tien with Long Thanh International Airport, a project expected to cut travel time to Ho Chi Minh City to around 30 minutes once completed.

On the afternoon of May 12, Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai People’s Committee Ho Van Ha conducted a site inspection and held meetings with relevant agencies to discuss plans for connecting urban railway systems to Long Thanh Airport.

During the meeting, representatives from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Management Board, and the Long Thanh Airport Project Management Board presented alignment plans for two urban railway lines directly connected to the passenger terminal area.

Under the master plan, the area surrounding Long Thanh Airport will eventually form a railway network consisting of three major lines: the North-South high-speed railway, the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh railway line, and the extended Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro route.

For the North-South high-speed railway, Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) has already coordinated with the Ministry of Construction’s railway project management board on the route alignment, station location, and integrated connectivity plan.

As for the two urban railway routes, Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City have largely reached agreement on the alignment section running from National Highway 51 into the airport area.

Specifically, the extended Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line, to be invested in by Dong Nai Province, will run along the left side of the T1 route toward the airport from National Highway 51.

Meanwhile, the Thu Thiem - Long Thanh line will run on the right side, with both lines directly linked to the airport passenger terminal.

According to Ho Van Ha, Dong Nai aims to develop the extended metro route into a continuous public transportation corridor seamlessly connecting Long Thanh Airport with downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

Once completed, passengers are expected to travel the full route in just over 30 minutes, helping shorten travel distances, reduce pressure on road infrastructure, and improve operational efficiency at Long Thanh Airport.

The project to extend the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line to Dong Nai City Administrative Center and Long Thanh Airport carries a preliminary investment estimate of more than VND65.573 trillion ($2.5 billion).

The total route length is expected to reach approximately 44.6 kilometers.

The project consists of two sections: a 7.4-kilometer segment from Suoi Tien Station to the city administrative center, and a 37.2-kilometer stretch from the administrative center to Long Thanh Airport.

The metro line will pass through several wards and communes, including Bien Hoa, Tran Bien, Long Hung, Phuoc Tan, Tam Phuoc, Nhon Trach, and Long Thanh.

Hoang Anh