PNR study ready this month

Evening rush at the Philippine National Railways commuter train. A study is being readied to upgrade and expand PNR operations in Luzon. PHOTO BY RICK ALBERTO

MANILA, Philippines—A study for an ambitious public-private partnership (PPP) deal meant to upgrade and expand Luzon’s railway system could be completed by September, the head of the PPP Center said.

PPP Center executive director Cosette Canilao said they required only additional data on passenger and freight traffic as part of a study to review the feasibility of the PNR Integrated Luzon Railway project. PNR, or Philippine National Railways, is the biggest railway operator in Luzon.

“It could be completed by the middle or the end of the month,” Canilao said in a recent interview. The PPP Center and the Department of Transportation and Communications, which is implementing the railway deal, earlier tapped Canada’s CPCS Transcom Ltd. to prepare the feasibility study for the proposed project.

“Once the study is done, the next step is for the implementing agency to decide whether to push through with the project or not,” Canilao said.

She declined to give revised financial details on the project, including its proposed construction cost, but she noted that it would be a massive project that would be built and opened over several phases.

The PPP Center website noted that the project aims to cover the entire “PNR mainline” North and South networks. This includes the mainline north, from Manila to La Union as well as a branch line from Tarlac to San Jose, Nueva Ecija, and a possible extension to Cagayan.

The mainline south, meanwhile, referred to Manila to Legaspi City, including the branch line from Calamba to Batangas City, it said.

“This will provide a convenient, affordable and environment-friendly alternative transportation for people and their goods,” a description of the project showed.

Details released by the PPP Center, however, did not make it clear how the project would provide a clear master plan for Luzon, given that the north and south lines have different operators.

PNR’s operations, for example, are currently limited to the south line and within Metro Manila. This line serves an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 passengers daily, a PNR spokesperson said previously.