THE country’s railway infrastructure is expected to expand more than three-fold with the completion of 23 major projects in the pipeline by 2030, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
Jorjette Aquino, DOTr assistant secretary for railways and Metro Rail Transit line 3 (MRT-3) officer-in-charge, said 23 out of the 69 infrastructure projects are for the improvement and expansion of the railway network, as the railway system is a priority of the administration.
Five of such projects are y under construction: the North-South Commuter Railway System, Metro Manila Subway Project (Phase 1), Light Rail Transit (LRT) line 1 Cavite Extension Project, MRT-7 and the MRT-3 rehabilitation and maintenance.
Another five are in the pre-construction stage and 13 are in the project development stage.
With the completion of these projects, Aquino said by 2030, the length of the railways in the Philippines would total to 1,233.08 kilometers, a 356.43 percent increase from the existing 270.16 km.
“We will connect key growth centers with emerging communities to equitably spur economic opportunities. These new railway lines are poised to play a pivotal role in the country’s development agenda,” said Aquino.
In a related development, the DOTr together with the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) witnessed the signing of Light Rail Manila Corp (LRMC), Sumitomo Corp. and Hankyu Corp.’s technical assistance agreement for LRT-1 recently.
The LRT-1 will collaborate with JICA, Sumitomo and Hankyu for the efficiency of its operations and maintenance as mentioned under the signed agreement.
“This time JICA will provide technical assistance to Hankyu and LRMC, help evaluate LRT 1’s operations and improve its processes and personnel training. This added layer of assistance will be most helpful especially at this time when the Cavite Extension is about to start partial operations very soon,” said
DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista.
