IFC expertise sought for 3 big railways
MANILA -The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is seeking the expertise of International Finance Corp. (IFC), the World Bank’s private sector investment arm, in crafting the game plan for three railway projects worth P267.29 billion.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, in a recent event, said the department was reviewing the unsolicited proposals for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 10, MRT 11 and Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 6 projects.
“We have asked the [IFC] of the [World Bank] to provide technical assistance on how best to proceed with the submitted unsolicited proposals for MRT 10, MRT 11 and LRT 6,” Bautista said.
MRT 10, which has a cost of P112.26 billion, according to the Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines, is a 22.5-kilometer railway with 16 stations linked at MRT 7, which is under development. Its alignment is along circumferential road C-5 connecting Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 to Quezon City.
The P81.79-billion MRT 11 project is an 18-km elevated rail line starting from Edsa Balintawak in Quezon City traversing Quirino Highway in Novaliches, onto Zabarte Road in North Caloocan and all the way to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
LRT 6, which has a price tag of P73.24 billion, is a 23.5-km light rail transit system extending LRT 1 further to Cavite cities, including Bacoor, Imus and Dasmariñas.
READ: DOTr: Railway projects ‘right on track’
“Our goal in establishing a network of rail systems in the country is to achieve efficient movement of people and encourage car owners to use public transportation such as trains,” Bautista said.
“With less cars on our roads, rail transport positively affects traffic congestion. This has a further knock-on effect of enabling travelers to reach their destination on time too,” he added.
According to a 389-city study for the 2022 Traffic Index, Manila was the ninth most congested city last year. In Manila, Filipinos spent 100 hours more, or about four days and four hours, on the road during weekday rush hours in 2022.
READ: How Manila’s traffic steals more than minutes
“Apart from these benefits, we can also cite that the rail system takes an extensive network of industries, which translates to job generation and thereby boost the country’s economy,” Bautista said.
Currently, the DOTr is also working with the Japan International Cooperation Agency in developing a 30-year rail master plan covering the National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Calabarzon.
