DOTC pursues Legazpi rail project

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is pursuing a P288 billion North-South Commuter rail project connecting Manila all the way to Legazpi City in Albay.

In a press conference, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the Aquino administration is developing mass rail transit systems as well as bus rapid transit systems all over the country.

“For a mega city like Manila, it is clearly a consequence of a growing economy is the growing capacity of our people to own their own vehicles – clearly, with our traffic that is not the way to go. And the solution to that natural tendency is to develop mass transit systems. Thus government is investing in rails, in BRTs, likewise reforming the bus system,” Abaya said.

According to Abaya 80 percent of the total population in Manila take public transportation and the remaining 20 percent use private vehicles.

 “However, we are all in smaller modes like jeeps, tricycles and UV Express. The direction is to migrate the smaller PUVs to mass transport systems and eventually migrate private owners into mass transit systems,” he said.

The DOTC chief said the project aims to revive the railway to provide improved transport and logistics services to currently underserved areas and encourage more productive activities.

The first phase of the North-South commuter rail project worth P117.13 billion covers the North line stretching 37 kilometers from Malolos to Tutuban. It would have 15 stations and would carry 340,000 passengers per day.

Abaya said the government expects to sign the loan agreement for the project in the third quarter of the year while the detailed engineering design is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of next year.

Construction is expected to start in the first quarter of 2017 and would be completed by the third quarter of 2020.

On the other hand, Phase 2 worth P170.7 billion of the project covers 653 kilometers including the 56-km stretch from Tutuban to Calamba (South Line) with 19 stations catering to 330,000 passengers per day as well as the 478-km stretch from Manila to Calamba; 58-km from Calamba to Batangas and 117-km from Legazpi to Matnog catering to 11,000 passengers per day.

Construction for Phase 2 is expected to commence in the first quarter of next year and would be completed in the last quarter of 2019. Once completed, travel time would be reduced to 53 minutes from 2.5 hours.

Aside from the North – South commuter rail project, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) approved the P35.4-billion Cavite – Laguna expressway (CALAX) paving the way for the rebidding at a floor price of P20.1 billion as well as the North Luzon expressway – South Luzon expressway (NLEX-SLEX) connector road originally proposed by Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC).

The NLEX-SLEX connector road project involves the construction and operation and maintenance (O&M) of a 13.5 km. four-lane elevated expressway over the Philippine National Railway (PNR) right-of-way starting in Caloocan City and ends in Buendia, Makati City.

Meanwhile, the CALAx project will provide a critical link for the provinces of Cavite and Laguna connecting two major toll roads – the Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) and the SLEX.