On February 16, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai chaired a meeting of the Advisory Council to implement Resolution 98/2023 of the National Assembly on piloting a number of specific mechanisms and policies for the city's development; the Advisory Group of Experts on the construction and development of the city's urban railway system.
At the meeting, members of the Advisory Council and the expert group focused on giving opinions on the project to develop an urban railway system (Metro) combined with an urban development model oriented towards public transport development (TOD) in the area.
Dr. Ngo Viet Nam Son said that completing 220km of urban railway in Ho Chi Minh City by 2035 is a difficult task. Therefore, we need to have a different mindset and a different way of doing things than the current way.
Ho Chi Minh City Chairman Phan Van Mai chaired the meeting. (Photo: Vu Phong)
Therefore, Mr. Son proposed to establish Metro Group and TOD (transport-oriented urban development) as a joint stock company. The first component is the relevant departments and branches; and the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee is the conductor, the person with the highest shares in the Group, coordinating the departments and branches smoothly.
Mr. Son also said that Ho Chi Minh City needs to approach with multi-sectoral thinking, not single-sectoral. Relevant departments and sectors are all involved in project development and implementation.
In addition, Mr. Son also proposed that there should be a TOD project implementation board because Resolution 98 has given authority and the Central Government also strongly supports Ho Chi Minh City in implementing this method, the first in the country.
Sharing the same view, Associate Professor Dr. Vu Minh Khuong, member of the Advisory Council and Urban Railway Advisory Group, said that there needs to be an action alliance consisting of elite urban railway forces from across the country and representatives of ministries, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, international experts and investors to work together on the Metro system.
Specifically, in the construction of the metro system, the Chairman of the City People's Committee shared the multi-sectoral thinking that the city has adopted from the beginning. In which, the Urban Railway Management Board plays a permanent role, and related departments and branches coordinate under the direction and management of the City People's Committee.
Concluding the meeting, Mr. Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, affirmed that not only urban railways, but also other issues of the city, the City People's Committee has directed a multi-sectoral, comprehensive approach according to the goal of sustainable development and taking people as the center. That is the reason why Ho Chi Minh City has established many steering committees and working groups, because one department or sector cannot solve the problem.
Regarding the proposal to establish Metro Group and TOD, Mr. Mai said he will study further, as well as when and in what phase it will be established.
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