The Department of Transportation said Tuesday digitalization and technology-driven innovations are key to improving the country’s railway systems to become at par with those of Japan.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said in a statement that for the Philippines’ railway system to achieve enhanced system efficiency, “we need to embrace this digital evolution towards a people-centric transport sector transformation.”
“It is imperative that we upgrade areas where bottlenecks in the sector occur and implement proper infrastructure to increase capacity,” Bautista said.
He said the DOTr would prioritize digitizing the railway sector and improving its manpower through the Philippine Railway Institute (PRI).
“Digitizing Philippine railway operations means building a solid and fully connected technology stacked rail sector,” he said.
Keeping in step with the technological advancements will also improve the sector’s efficiency, Bautista added.
By equipping railway human resources—operators, engineers, and other personnel— with the latest technology, the railway sector can develop new and better services to passengers, he said.
Bautista cited the state-of-the-art training simulators grant from the Japanese government to the PRI, which he said is an introduction to digitalization especially with upcoming mega railway projects such as the MRT-7, North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), Metro Manila Subway Project, and LRT-1 Cavite Extension.
PRI is the country’s research and training center handling research efforts and building capacities for personnel in the railway sector.