The Department of Transportation said Monday it will launch the bidding for the construction of Mindanao Railway Project Phase 1 in November this year.
The target aims to break ground on the P82.9-billion Mindanao Railway System Phase 1 by early next year and start the actual construction in the first quarter of 2020.
Phase 1 of the Mindanao Railway is a 102-kilometer rail line that will link the Davao Region through Tagum, Davao City, and Digos. It is designed to accommodate around 110,000 passengers per day in its opening year.
The department expects the volume of passengers to increase to 237,023 by 2032 and 375,134 by 2042.
The MRP-TDD segment is expected to reduce travel time from Tagum City, Davao del Norte to Digos City, Davao del Sur from 3.5 hours to 1.3 hours once it starts operating in 2022.
A group of Chinese engineering consultants is now preparing the groundwork for the succeeding phases of the railway system. The project is funded by the Chinese government.
It will have eight stations in Tagum; Carmen; Panabo; Mudiang; Davao Terminal; Toril; Sta. Cruz; and Digos. A 10-hectare depot will be built in Tagum.
Besides the Mindanao Railway, the Transportation Department is also pursuing the Tutuban-Malolos segment of PNR Clark Phase 1.
PNR Clark Phase 1 will run from Tutuban, Manila to Malolos, Bulacan. The first package consists of civil works for elevated structures, a depot in Valenzuela and the construction of six stations in Solis, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Meycauayan, Marilao, and Bocaue.
PNR Clark Phase 1 forms part of the North-South Commuter Railway Project”•a mega rail network that aims to seamlessly integrate the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon, through PNR Clark Phases 1 and 2 (Tutuban-Malolos and Malolos-Clark) and PNR Calamba (Manila-Laguna).
The entire NSCR line aims to serve 700,000 passengers daily once it becomes fully operational.