DOTr, Jica to wrap up rail master plan by year-end
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) are aiming to complete the 30-year rail master plan covering the capital and nearby densely populated regions by the end of the year.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, in an interview in Parañaque last week, said the study for the big-ticket public transportation project was ongoing.
“We should be able to have it before the end of the year,” Bautista said.
For now, Bautista said they have yet to identify train routes and alignments. “It will take some time for Jica to complete the study,” he added.
In August last year, the DOTr, Jica, and the Asian Development Bank sealed a collaboration to craft the railway master plan that will provide mass transport across the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon.
The vision is to improve connectivity and make the train commuting experience on par with Tokyo, Shanghai, and Seoul through the establishment of railway networks by 2055.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: PH gearing up for ‘railway renaissance’
Article continues after this advertisementThe transportation department seeks to increase rail passenger trips and double the average distance of all trips within one hour during peak rush hour, among others.
Improving connectivity, train commuting experience
Before this, Bautista said the government was keen on pursuing four regional railway projects that span over 1,000 kilometers. These are the 853-km PNR (Philippine National Railway) North Long Haul, 100-km Panay Railway, 54-km North Mindanao Railway and 17-km San Mateo Railway.
The North Long Haul project is an inter-regional railway system that links the National Capital Region and Ilocandia, Cagayan Valley, and Central Luzon.
READ: DOTr discussions with Jica to bring out better rail system projects
The Panay Railway, which stopped operations in 1985, previously connected several towns in Iloilo and Capiz.
The Northern Mindanao segment of the Mindanao Railway System railway project links Cagayan de Oro to Laguindingan and Villanueva, Misamis Oriental. The entire Mindanao Railway, spanning 1,544 km, seeks to connect the major cities of Davao, General Santos, Cotabato, Zamboanga, and Surigao, among others.
The San Mateo project, meanwhile, is a railway connecting Light Rail Transit Line 2 to San Mateo and Rodriguez, Rizal. The train system is designed to have six stations.
