DOTr presents details of 1,000-km rail projects

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Tuesday disclosed details of the Marcos administration’s plan to pursue about 1,000 kilometers of new railway projects.

"We are in the process of finalizing the feasibility studies for new railways. The President mentioned about 1,000-kilometer railway projects in his SONA (State of the Nation Address)," Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said at the Post-SONA Economic Briefing in Pasay City.

Bautista said the agency already has the funds to do feasibility studies.

Among the new railway projects identified by Bautista are the following:

PNR North Long Haul — 853 kilometers
Panay Railway — 100 kilometers 
North Mindanao Railway — 54 kilometers 
San Mateo Railway — 17 kilometers

The four railway projects have a total length of 1,024 kilometers.

In his second SONA on Monday, Marcos said, "We initiated several railway projects, with a total length of more than 1,000 kilometers."

The DOTr chief said that procurement is now ongoing for consultancy firms to create the feasibility studies for the rail projects lined up by the Marcos administration.

PNR North Long Haul will be composed of four phases: Clark-La Union, La Union-Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Sur-Ilocos Norte, and Cagayan Valley. 

It is envisioned to link strategic infrastructure, logistics systems, and economic zones such as the Clark Freeport Zone, Poro Point Freeport Zone, Laoag International Airport, Port Irene, and Cagayan North International Airport (Lal-lo Airport). 

The Panay Railway Project seeks to establish a modern and efficient railway system across the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo. 

The railway will serve as a vital link between major cities, towns, and economic hubs, facilitating the movement of goods, services, and people.

The Northern Mindanao Project, meanwhile, involves the financing, design, construction, operations, and maintenance of a 54.8-kilometer high-capacity, initially inter-city passenger railway system that will span across the highly urbanized city of Cagayan de Oro, connecting the municipalities of Laguindingan and Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.

San Mateo Railway is aimed at being built as a 17-kilometer feeder railway line that connects LRT Line 2 to the municipalities of San Mateo and Rodriguez in Rizal province. —VBL, GMA Integrated News