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Friday, March 29, 2024

DOTr asks China to fund Bicol rail project

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The Transportation Department is seeking financial assistance from China to finance a major railway project from Manila to the Bicol region.

“We would like to have partnership with countries using their own technologies.  What the economic cluster decided [was] that the group of Luzon will go to the Japanese government and that group of Bicol hopefully will go to the Chinese government,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade told reporters. 

The P134-billion PNR South Commuter under the first phase will run from Manila to Los Baños in Laguna and is expected to have a daily ridership of over 300,000 in its opening year. 

The project will cut travel time between Manila and Calamba by more than half, from over two hours today to under one hour, once the railway was fully operational.  The agency targets to start construction of the project by 2018 and complete it by 2021. 

The Chinese government will also finance the P151-billion PNR South Long Haul, a 581-kilometer standard-gauge railway from Laguna to Legazpi City.

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Meanwhile, Tugade said the government expected to complete the PNR North or Manila-Clark Railway project by 2020.  Clark Railway is funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency. 

“We hope to start the construction in the fourth quarter of this year,” he said. 

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade

Jica chief representative Susumo Ito said the ongoing detailed design for the PNR North, conducted through the Jica grant, would be completed soon.

Ito said the project “aims to boost connectivity of emerging growth centers to Metro Manila and improve the mobility of the Filipino commuters.”

“Once completed, it can help address traffic congestion and improve the quality of life of people living and working in urban areas in Metro Manila,” he said.

The project has 17 stations including those in Tutuban, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Meycauayan, Marilao Solis, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto, Malolos, Calumpit, Apalit, San Fernando, Angeles, Clark, Clark International Airport, and the proposed New Clark City in Pampanga.”©

The whole line will have 13 train sets with eight cars or coaches per train set. Each train can reach a maximum speed of 120 km per hour.  “©

With the rail project, the two-hour travel time from Manila to Clark will be cut down to just 55 minutes. The rail system stands to benefit 350,000 passengers daily in its first year of operations.”©

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