A view of the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC. The municipal government has proposed a railway connecting the TSN airport and the Long Thanh International Airport - PHOTO: VNA

HCMC – The HCMC government has proposed studying a railway linking the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC and the Long Thanh International Airport, which is under construction in the neighboring province of Dong Nai by lengthening metro line 4b.

The proposal was included in the city’s suggestions to the national railway system development plan in the 2021-2030 period with a vision to 2050 drafted by the Vietnam Railway Authority, the local media reported.

Accordingly, HCMC proposed the railway would run along Pham Van Dong Street to the Trang Bom-Hoa Hung railway and Ring Road No. 2 in Thu Duc City and connect to the Thu Thiem-Long Thanh light railway at an intersection of Ring Road No. 2 and the HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway.

Besides this, HCMC also proposed the Ministry of Transport direct a consulting firm to study the connection of metro line 4b with the T1, T2 and T3 terminals of the Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

Dossiers for the metro line No. 4 project, connecting Gia Dinh Park in Go Vap District and Lang Cha Ca Intersection in Tan Binh District, are being completed. The 3.2-kilometer metro line was designed to be an underground one and have three stations.

Earlier, the consulting firm had proposed two plans for the development of a railway connecting the two airports by lengthening metro line Nos. 2 or 4b.

However, according to the HCMC government, the lengthened metro line 4b will pass through densely populated areas such as the Thanh Da and An Phu residential areas and Rach Chiec and An Phu intersections.

The solution will create a new route which has yet to be included in the city’s urban planning, thus affecting many projects in the city. In addition, two railway bridges spanning the Saigon River must be added.

As for the other solution, the second metro line project has been approved and is being executed.

To connect the two airports, the HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway will be expanded with an estimated investment of nearly VND10 trillion. Moreover, provincial road 25C with a length of over 14 kilometers will be developed.

Dong Nai and HCMC are also working on a plan to build the Cat Lai Bridge to replace an existing ferry.