DOTr gets ICC greenlight for P59.3B MRT-4 project

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has secured the thumbs-up from the Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee (ICC-CabCom) to develop a railway system that will link parts of eastern Metro Manila and Rizal province.

In a statement on Tuesday, the DOTr said the Metro Rail Transit Line 4 (MRT4) project was approved by the ICC-CabCom during its December 20, 2019 meeting.

This has moved the railway project "closer to completion," the Transportation department said.

The 15.56-kilometer rail transit system has a project cost of P59.3 billion. It aims to address the worsening traffic condition and inadequate road capacities in the densely populated areas of eastern Metro Manila, including parts of Quezon City, San Juan City, Mandaluyong City, Pasig City and the Ortigas Center.

The line will also link eastern Metro Manila with the neighboring municipalities of Cainta and Taytay in Rizal.

With an initial daily ridership projected at 234,433 passengers, the line system will serve 11 stations.

The MRT-4 project is calendared for construction from 2021 to 2025 and will be funded by an official development assistance (ODA) from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), with the DOTr as proponent.

“Considering how densely populated these areas are, which is made more difficult with the lack of road capacities and ever worsening traffic conditions, MRT4 will be of great help in moving commuters between eastern Metro Manila and Rizal,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

Infastructure Cluster Chairman and Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar meanwhile said the approval by the ICC-CabCom of the MRT4 project and other key transport and infrastructure projects, will assure that they will be started within the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“After passing the ICC-CabCom, we’ll be able to release the projects by early next year, allowing us time within the Duterte administration to significantly complete these game-changing projects. It’s crucial that we start these projects—we’ll be working on the procurement, that’s why we fast-tracked all these projects before the end of the year so that next year, we can focus purely on the detailed engineering and procurement of these big-ticket projects,” Villar said. 

Also approved by the ICC-CabCom in its December 20, 2019 meeting were the Unsolicited Operate-Add-Transfer (OAT)  Proposal for the Davao International Airport, Unsolicited  Operate-Add-Transfer (OAT) Proposal for the Laguindingan Airport, the EDSA Greenways Project, and the Maritime Safety Enhancement Program (MSEP). — BM, GMA News