The government on Thursday deferred the signing of over P1-billion deal with a subsidiary of Manila Electric Co. and International Container Terminal Services Inc. to revive the Manila-Calamba cargo train service, after the Philippine Ports Authority raised issues on right-of-way.
Philippine National Railways and MRail Inc. are supposed to sign the non-exclusive track usage agreement Thursday, but the state-owned railway company deferred it to second week of February.
“We are really set to sign, but the signing of the track usage agreement between PNR and MRail was rescheduled to allow PNR to coordinate with PPA regarding right of way inside the Manila International Container Terminal. This will also allow PPA to be part of the signing,” PNR general manager Joseph Allan Dilay said.
MRail, whose primary business focus is to undertake rail investments, operations and maintenance and provide rail technical services, has formed a strategic alliance with ICTSI, a leading international port operator, to revive and run the cargo freight service in the country. Darwin G. Amojelar