Da Nang Plans 16 Urban Rail Lines Spanning 204 Kilometers

On October 24th, the Da Nang People’s Committee hosted a seminar titled “Building Da Nang’s Urban Rail System: Vision, Challenges, and Sustainable Solutions.”

Speaking at the seminar, Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People’s Committee Le Quang Nam highlighted that the merger of Da Nang and Quang Nam provinces opens up vast development opportunities in urban planning, tourism, and logistics. However, alongside these opportunities, the city faces mounting traffic pressures and increasing mobility demands, necessitating a breakthrough in modern, environmentally friendly public transportation infrastructure.

According to Mr. Nam, Da Nang aims to position urban rail as the backbone of its smart transportation network, connecting the city center with Hue, Quang Ngai, and other Central Highlands provinces to form a regional urban chain. This system will seamlessly integrate with BRT, electric buses, bike-sharing services, and major transportation hubs, ensuring that every urban area is within 500 meters of a metro station.

“The principle is to ensure that every urban point is within 500 meters of a metro station, and no more than 2 kilometers in suburban areas. Transfer times between transportation modes should not exceed 5 minutes,” Mr. Nam stated.

Deputy Director of the Department of Construction Luong Thach Vy outlined the master plan, which includes 16 urban rail lines totaling over 204 kilometers, divided into two investment phases from now until 2045.

Among these, two priority projects are the Da Nang – Hoi An – Tam Ky – Chu Lai line and the connection line between the high-speed railway station and the city center.

Da Nang plans to mobilize three funding sources: public investment, ODA, and private capital, with a focus on attracting private investment through the PPP model and developing urban areas following the TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) approach, centered around public transportation.

Contributing to the discussion, a representative from Shenzhen’s rail system (China) noted that Da Nang’s planning aligns with current trends but suggested optimizing the network in the southern region and maintaining a transportation land ratio of 23-26%, with public transportation accounting for 10-25%.

The expert also emphasized that to achieve sustainable integrated transportation development, Da Nang should establish a multi-layered, multi-model rail network, closely integrated with land-use planning. The development of Da Nang’s urban rail system also requires central government support through special mechanisms and policies, similar to those in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.