Saigon authorities are looking to expand one of the city’s future metro lines to Tan Son Nhat Airport.
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The proposal, which calls for a 2km extension of Metro Line 5, was submitted to the Ministry of Planning and Investment on Tuesday. It also asked for funding from the Export-Import Bank of Korea to create a feasibility study for the project, reports Thanh Nien.
The line will start at the Saigon Bridge and terminate at Can Giuoc Bus Station in Binh Chanh District.
However, there’s still a long way to go before Metro Line 5 gets underway. While funding has been secured for its first stage, work won’t begin until the project is approved by legislators, according to Bui Khac Huynh, deputy chief of the management board for HCMC's urban railways.
“Under Vietnam's law on public investment, any project which costs the state budget more than VND10 trillion ($457.87 million) must get approval from the National Assembly, the country's legislative body,” wrote the paper.
Work has already begun on the city’s first two metro lines, both of which are expected to open in 2020.
Even if the US$15.4 billion Long Thanh Airport is approved (it will go in front of the National Assembly later this month for approval) and built, Tan Son Nhat will continue to serve the city as a domestic airport.
Later this month, the airport will be begin a two year expansion that will increase its capacity from 20 to 26 million passengers per year.
