A lawmaker has proposed the construction of a Japanese-style bullet train to connect the National Capital Region (NCR) and the Bicol region.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte made the statement following the government’s decision to withdraw its loan application for major transportation projects from China.
Should the funding for the South Long Haul Railway project of the Philippine National Railway come from the Japanese official development assistance (ODA), Villafuerte said “it would be ideal for Tokyo to build a bullet train in lieu of a regular railway system.”
“Alongside its expertise in building superfast trains, Tokyo would be the ideal funding source for the South Long Haul Railway project, given its sterling record in financing the Philippines’ flagship projects, particularly in the transportation sector, and the well-established commitment and support of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for our country’s transport modernization program,” Villafuerte said.
He said a bullet train will drastically cut the travel time between Metro Manila and Bicol.
“This would spell greater economic activity and more jobs in Bicolandia, lead to more Bicolanos returning to their home provinces in Region V which would decongest the national capital, and boost tourism in our region,” he said.
Japan boasts a network of Shinkansen bullet trains that have a top speed of 320 kilometers (km) per hour.
These trains run across the islands of Hokkaido Honshu and Kyushu, and they were dubbed bullet trains because of their speed and aerodynamic bullet shape, Villafuerte said.
After withdrawing last month the official request for Chinese funding for the PNR’s South Long Haul Railway project and two more transport projects that were initiated during the Duterte presidency, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the government was considering Japan, South Korea or India as possible ODA financial sources for these three ventures.