Sun Group's proposed light rail (LRT) in Ho Chi Minh City: "Green solution" for urban transport

3 decades ago, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia... had light rail (LRT). In Vietnam, Sun Group's proposal for a nearly 100km light rail line running along the Saigon River, connecting Ho Chi Minh City - Tay Ninh is opening up new expectations for a period of strong development of this superior form of transport. The global light rail (LRT) consumption market is expected to reach 212.04 USD by 2031. Asia Pacific Rail forecasts that by 2050, the world's urban population will reach 68%, creating pressure on urban infrastructure, especially transportation. Over the past decades, many countries have joined hands to "respond" to this pressure by developing urban railways. Not only the US, Australia or European countries focus on urban railway lines such as LRT (Light Rail Transit) and MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) high-speed trains, but most of the top countries in Southeast Asia have also invested in this infrastructure, especially LRT quite early. 40 years ago, the Philippines built the first LRT light rail line in the capital Manila. Up to now, Manila has more than 37km of inner-city LRT, estimated to serve more than 305,000 passengers per year. In Singapore, the LRT system has been built since 1987. This system is currently more than 30km long, serving about 184,000 passengers per day. In 1998, Malaysia's Kelana Jaya Line LRT was put into use. To date, this line is more than 46km long, serving about 222,000 passengers per day. Malaysia currently has about 91.5km of LRT railway.

Indonesia chooses to invest in LRT to reduce traffic congestion and pollution in the capital Jakarta

In 2023, Indonesia also officially joined this "playground" when it put into operation the first LRT line worth more than 2 billion USD, connecting the Greater Jakarta region (including the capital Jakarta and 3 satellite cities including West Java, Bekasi and Depok) with a length of 41.2 km. As for Thailand, in addition to the dense MRT and BTS skytrain infrastructure, the country also plans to build an LRT line in the satellite city of Khon Kaen in 2025.

According to the report of the International Transport Association (UITP), in 2021, there were about 16,000 km of LRT globally, serving 14.662 million passengers. 404 cities currently have at least 1 LRT line in operation. On average, 6.7 new LRT lines are opened each year. The global light rail consumption market was valued at 101.9 billion USD in 2023 and is expected to reach 212.04 USD in 2031, with a forecasted annual compound growth rate of approximately 13% from 2024 to 2031. Explaining the widespread development of LRT, Polish experts assessed that this system provides a highly applicable mobility solution with reasonable investment costs for large and medium-sized cities, contributing to reducing the rapid increase in motor vehicles.

Combined road and LRT light rail avenues applied in the world - Photo: LRT line in Toronto, Canada

At the same time, compared to buses and coaches, this type of transport can carry more passengers, is safer, and is environmentally friendly because it uses electricity instead of gasoline. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has shown that each person who takes the train instead of driving a car for a year will reduce 9 pounds of hydrocarbon emissions, 5 pounds of nitrogen oxides, and 62.5 pounds of carbon monoxide. An electric train emits nearly 99% less carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons per mile than a car. According to Mr. Corentin Wauters - Director of the International Transportation Association's rail sector: "Light rail plays a role in the backbone of cities or as an auxiliary infrastructure for traditional rail and road. This type of transport scores with passengers because of its safety, comfort, affordable fares, and ease of access. In particular, for urban areas, it contributes to increasing connectivity with the suburbs, can design green spaces along the route, and has low carbon emissions." The light rail system (LRT) is built with a variety of types running above ground, above ground and underground, without the need to build barriers, helping to optimize investment costs. A Canadian report has shown that the investment cost for LRT is only nearly half that of the subway. In addition, LRT can also combine sightseeing experiences. With the above advantages, it is not surprising that recently, the "LRT revival" policy has been activated in many countries, as one of the pioneering moves in the race against urbanization and Net Zero. Will Ho Chi Minh City pioneer the development of inter-regional LRT connections? In Vietnam, both major cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, have mentioned LRT in the planning of the urban railway system, but the investment is divided into later stages, when the MRT system has been formed. However, according to experts, to reduce the load on road infrastructure and compete with Net Zero commitments, the LRT model needs to be deployed soon. Especially the country's locomotive like Ho Chi Minh City is facing great pressure on urban transport infrastructure and regional connectivity. It is estimated that traffic congestion causes the city to lose about 6 billion USD each year. As the economic locomotive of the country, the infrastructure connecting Ho Chi Minh City with the provinces and cities of the South or countries on the East-West economic corridor is still quite limited. In particular, the economic and tourism axis along the Saigon River stretching from Tay Ninh, through Cu Chi, to the city is almost "open". "To become a global city, in the coming time, Ho Chi Minh City needs to invest in inter-regional connectivity infrastructure - this is a very important point; develop advanced and modern infrastructure according to international trends to improve intra-city and inter-regional connectivity to surrounding satellite cities or even the region", emphasized Mr. Le Hoang Chau, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association (HoREA).

The proposal for a light rail line running along the Saigon River with a length of nearly 100km connecting Saigon - Tay Ninh is receiving attention.

In early October, Sun Group sent to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee its comments on the Project to adjust the general planning of Ho Chi Minh City to 2040, with a vision to 2060. Accordingly, Ho Chi Minh City needs to add to the planning an 8-10 lane wide boulevard running along the Saigon River through Cu Chi, connecting to Tay Ninh. The focal point is the light rail line with a length of nearly 100km connecting directly to Tay Ninh, making travel and trade between Ho Chi Minh City residents and Tay Ninh and the provinces along the Saigon River increasingly convenient. The proposal to develop an LRT light rail line connecting Ho Chi Minh City-Tay Ninh along the boulevard running along the Saigon River is considered a breakthrough idea. If approved and included in the planning for future realization, it will bring great value to the socio-economic development, connecting Ho Chi Minh City and the provinces of Tay Ninh and Binh Duong. “The planning of both sides of the Saigon River from Ho Chi Minh City through Cu Chi to Tay Ninh must be 8-10 lane roads, taking into account the need to meet high demand in the future. When developing a high-class tourism infrastructure axis, modern transport infrastructure including waterways, roads, and parallel railways connecting Ho Chi Minh City - Cu Chi - Ba Den Mountain - Tay Ninh, it will create a vibrant "on the wharf, under the boat" space for the Saigon River corridor as major cities in the world have successfully done for many years”, emphasized Architect Tran Ngoc Chinh, former Deputy Minister of Construction - Chairman of the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association. With bold planning ideas and the willingness to join hands of large economic groups with rich experience in infrastructure development, Ho Chi Minh City is facing the opportunity to solve the problem of inter-regional transport, with the goal of "greening" the economy, thereby creating new growth momentum not only for the city but also the whole Southern region. Source: https://vov.vn/doanh-nghiep/duong-sat-nhe-lrt-sun-group-de-xuat-tai-tphcm-dap-an-xanh-cho-giao-thong-do-thi-post1130443.vov