Eyed from Carcar City to Danao City: Passenger railway line

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has proposed to Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia an underground passenger railway line, which would stretch from Carcar City in the south to Danao City in the north, and she wants it handled by the local government units (LGUs).

The governor said projects like what DOTr proposed, whose masterplan was presented to her recently, takes decades from proposal, to feasibility studies, to processing of permits and securing approval from various national line agencies, to execution, until completion.

This was why she proposed to Timothy John Batan, DOTr undersecretary for planning and project development, to have the Cebu LGUs take charge of the project, which would be called the Metro Cebu Urban Mass Rapid Transit (UMRT), while DOTr maintains supervisory control.

Sugbo News, the Provincial Government’s news network, reported that Batan met with the governor to propose the project, which DOTr intended to address Metro Cebu’s growing transportation woes by decongesting traffic, reducing travel time, and improving connectivity.

As proposed, the UMRT project is a 67.5-km underground passenger railway line which connects Carcar City to Danao City.

With Cebu Province’s local government leaders, from the Provincial Board members to the mayors, united behind Gov. Garcia it is seen that the project’s implementation could be expedited, from permit approval, to execution, to completion.

It was reported that the Capitol would already open the proposed underground railway to those interested through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), subject to the rules and regulations set by the Capitol through its Economic Enterprise Council.

The PPP right now is the preferred mode of executing large-scale projects, including the Mactan Cebu International Airport operations, Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), as well as the Capitol’s joint venture agreements with Filinvest Land Inc. and Manila Waters, among various partners.

A check by The Freeman on NEDA’s website showed that the UMRT is one of the listed flagship projects as of July 2023, with DOTr as its implementing body. According to NEDA, the project is being eyed for funding through an “Official Development Assistance” or through a PPP scheme.

Batan said that DOTr proposing the UMRT noted that with the PPP for MCIA’s international airport operations and the CCLEX toll road project, Cebu has been the home for a lots of firsts. -(CEBU NEWS)