After years under development limbo, Saigon’s Metro Line 2 has finally gotten an official date for breaking ground, but will this timeline stick?
As Tuổi Trẻ reports, the Hồ Chí Minh City People’s Committee recently set the date for Metro Line 2 construction to begin on January 15, 2026. From now until December, urban railway authorities must complete and submit relevant reports on feasibility, environmental impact, and project supervision.
This starting date applies to the first phase of the metro line, aiming to complete the initial segment spanning 11.3 kilometers from the existing Bến Thành Station to the northwestern region of the city.
A render of the train to be used on Metro Line 2.
According to Thanh Niên, phase one will feature 10 stations, apart from the Bến Thành Interchange, including Tao Đàn, Dân Chủ, Hòa Hưng, Lê Thị Riêng, Phạm Văn Hai, Bảy Hiền, Nguyễn Hồng Đào, Bà Quẹo, Phạm Văn Bạch, and Tân Bình — all will be underground except for Tân Bình. A few are planned to be interchanges with future lines: Tao Đàn (with Line 3B), Bảy Hiền (with Line 5), and Bà Quẹo (with Line 6).
In 2024, the city hoped to begin construction as early as 2025 with a finishing date in 2030, however, red tapes and delays in site clearance pushed the commencement to 2026.
After the first phase, Line 2’s second phase will stretch the other direction from Bến Thành to Thủ Thiêm in Thủ Đức City, while the last phase will extend northwards to the border with Tây Ninh City.
Photos via Thanh Niên.
