My Thuan Project Management Unit (PMU My Thuan) has submitted a pre-feasibility study for the proposed Ho Chi Minh City-Can Tho railway to the Ministry of Construction.
According to the report, the project would require preliminary investment of more than VND 171 trillion (approximately USD 6.57 billion).
The estimate is based on a design in which the railway shares a bridge crossing over the Hau River with a road project. If a separate railway bridge is built, total investment would rise to about VND 175.11 trillion (approximately USD 6.73 billion).
Transport links between Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho rely mainly on National Highway 1 and the expressway network (Photo: Hai Long).
The proposed railway is designed as an electrified line carrying both passengers and freight.
During the first phase, a single-track railway with a standard gauge of 1,435mm would be constructed. The maximum design speed would be 160km/h for passenger trains and 120km/h for freight services.
The route would include 12 stations and three maintenance depots located in An Binh, Tan Kien and Can Tho.
The line would begin at An Binh Station in Di An Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, and end at Can Tho Station in Hung Phu Ward, Can Tho City.
With a total length of approximately 175.2km, the railway would pass through five localities: Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh Province, Dong Thap Province, Vinh Long Province and Can Tho City.
Although the long-term master plan envisions a double-track railway, only a single track would be constructed in the first phase, which project planners say would be sufficient to meet transport demand until 2055.
The railway would operate using electric traction and modern signalling and control systems.
PMU My Thuan has recommended financing the project entirely through public investment.
According to the project team, international experience suggests that public-private partnership (PPP) models do not necessarily deliver greater efficiency than direct public funding for large-scale railway developments.
Under the proposed timetable, the investment policy is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration in August.
Technical design work and project approval are scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2028, with construction expected to begin in the third quarter of the same year.
The railway is targeted for substantial completion by 2035.
The pre-feasibility study concluded that the project would generate significant economic and social benefits by meeting growing transport demand along the Ho Chi Minh City-Can Tho economic corridor, reducing logistics costs, rebalancing transport modes and supporting the long-term development of the Mekong Delta region.