The Department of Transportation said Thursday it signed consultancy service contracts for the implementation of four infrastructure projects.
The agency signed the contract for consultancy services with the Public-Private Partnership Center, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and SyCip Gorres Velayo & Company for the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit operations and maintenance and feasibility studies for the NCR EDSA Busway, Manila Bay-Pasig River-Laguna Lake Ferry System and North Long Haul Inter-Regional Railway.
Secretary Jaime Bautista said “the Marcos administration is committed to leverage the private sector’s efficiency and flexibility.”
“Pursuant to the President’s directive, the DOTr is working full speed and is commencing the feasibility studies of four IFPs [infrastructure flagship projects],” he said.
The North Long Haul Inter-Regional Railway will be an 800-kilometer railway, which will reconstruct the legacy railway to Ilocos and Cagayan Valley and provide better transportation for passenger and goods, linking rapidly urbanizing economic centers in the northern and northeastern parts of Luzon.
The Manila Bay-Pasig River-Laguna Lake Ferry System will reconstruct and expand the Pasig River Ferry for quality and higher frequency services throughout the Greater Capital Region, including Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.
The ferry system will feature low-carbon ferries servicing tens of thousands of passengers daily.
The NCR EDSA Busway, meanwhile, is expected to enhance the existing EDSA Carousel to address the high demand for transportation services along the median of EDSA and feeder roads by increasing capacity and service reliability.
The project may also involve the introduction of electric buses, reducing the carbon emissions along heavily trafficked corridors of Metro Manila.
A 13.18-kilometer bus lane in Cebu stretching from Mambaling to Cebu IT Park, the Cebu BRT is expected to serve up to 160,000 passengers daily in its full operations.