Central Vietnam hub Danang seeks investment for urban railway airport link

Da Nang is calling for investment in a major urban railway project that will connect the Danang International Airport with the central city’s famous My Khe Beach.

The 14.9 kilometer route will have 19 stations and a depot, municipal authorities said Wednesday.

The project is part of a broader transportation network development scheme outlined in the city master plan for the 2021-2030 period (with vision until 2050) approved by the Prime Minister in March 2021.

Under the masterplan, the central city aims to develop two MRT (mass rapid transit) lines and two LRT (light rail transit) routes by 2030, followed by another four LRT lines and one BRT (bus rapid transit) route by 2045.

The plan accords priority to the Danang Airport-Tran Thi Ly Bridge-My Khe Beach route, which will follow a transit-oriented development (TOD) model, encouraging urban redevelopment along the LRT corridor.

The route will be funded through the public-private partnership (PPP) model and deployed as a build-lease-transfer (BLT) or build-operate-transfer (BOT) project.

By 2050, Danang will build a total of 11 LRT lines, two MRT lines and three tourist-focused LRT routes. Some of the LRT routes will utilize the existing infrastructure of the North-South national railway line after the current railway station is relocated outside the city.

The urban railway network will be part of a larger public transport network that links with neighboring towns including Hoi An in Quang Nam province and Lang Co in Thua Thien-Hue province.