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The Department of Transportation is pushing for completion of big-ticket projects in the next administration
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The biggest of these projects is the 18-station South Commuter Railway Project
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The railway stretches from Blumentritt in Manila, to Calamba City in Laguna
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12 port projects were also completed in the last 6 months of the Duterte administration
The Department of Transportation (DOTR) is pushing for completion of big-ticket transport projects in the next administration.
Among these big projects is the South Commuter Railway Project (SCRP), also called the PNR Calamba project.
The $4.3-billion loan agreement for the 55.8-kilometer rail project was signed on June 16, 2022 by the Philippine government and the Asian Development Bank.
The railway will have 18 stations stretching from Blumentritt in Manila, to Calamba City in Laguna. This project is the southern section of the massive North-South Commuter Railway System (NSCR).
A flagship project of the Duterte administration’s Build Build Build Program, the NSCR is also the ADB’s single-largest official development assistance loan for any project.
Once operational, the SCRP will cut travel time between Manila and Calamba from 1 to 2 hours by bus to 45 minutes to 1 hour by train. The railway will have an estimated daily ridership of 600,000 passengers during full operations.
The SCRP has two special features: The Clark Airport Express Station in Makati City, and seamless integration with the Metro Manila Subway Project.
Once operational, passengers can board the Airport Express train in Makati City and arrive in the Clark International Airport within an hour.
Likewise, passengers from Calamba, Laguna will be able to travel to Bonifacio Global City, Ortigas CBD, and the Unified Grand Common Station without having to change trains.
The SCRP promises to decongest traffic, create over 48,000 direct jobs during its construction and over 9,000 jobs once the rail system goes into operation.
Aside from spurring economic growth in Southern Luzon, all stations of the PNR Calamba will have universal access and intermodal facilities for easy transfer to other modes of public transportation.
The NSCR, with its three segments – the PNR Clark Phases 1 and 2 and the PNR Calamba – are poised to improve local, national, and international connectivity with the direct link to the international airport at Clark.
Maritime projects
Meanwhile, the DOTr Maritime Sector also completed 12 social and tourism port projects during the last six months of the Duterte administration. The Duterte administration winds down on June 30.
The projects are construction/improvement of Joroan Port in Tiwi, Albay; construction/improvement of San Roque Port in Tabaco City; improvement of Pontevedra Municipal Wharf in Capiz; construction of Mapanas Port in Northern Samar, and construction of Brgy. Linungan Port in Akbar, Basilan.
Also completed were Quezon Port; Busuanga Port in Palawan; Villaba Port in Leyte; Benoni Port in Camiguin; Basilisa Port in Dinagat Island; Buenavista Port in Bohol, and Brgy. San Rafael Port in Ragay, Camarines Sur likewise underwent construction, repair and improvement.
