HCM City, Dec. 30 -- Ho Chi Minh City is accelerating the development of its urban railway system by adopting a dual-track strategy that combines metro construction with transit-oriented development (TOD), instead of waiting for metro lines to be completed before launching associated urban projects.

The move is to maximise economic and social benefits once the lines become operational - a departure from previous practices.

According to the plan, construction of Metro Line No.2 (Ben Thanh-Tham Luong) is scheduled to begin on January 15, 2026. Immediately after finalising the groundbreaking timeline, the municipal People's Committee instructed relevant agencies to roll out TOD projects along the route.

Departments and agencies have been ...