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Funds have been approved for preparatory studies on rail, road and maritime projects
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The projects are the North Long Haul Inter-Regional Railway linking the National Capital Region to the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions; the NCR EDSA Busway, and the Manila Bay-Pasig River-Laguna Lake Ferry
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International experts will be engaged to conduct the studies
The funding for preparatory studies of three transport projects has been approved, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
Under the government’s Public-Private Partnership program, the projects are the North Long Haul Inter-regional Railway, which will link Metro Manila with the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions; the National Capital Region (NCR) EDSA Busway; and the Manila Bay-Pasig River-Laguna Lake Ferry.
All three are key components of the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 and have received funding approval from the Committee on Public-Private Partnership Center Project Development and Monitoring Facility, DOTr said in a press statement on Dec 14.
International experts will be engaged to conduct the studies, the DOTr said.
The North Long-Haul Rail project is designed to connect NCR with the Ilocos Region comprising Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan in Northwestern Luzon, and the Cagayan Valley region provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, and Nueva Vizcaya in Northeastern Luzon.
The North Long-Haul Rail line will form part of the Luzon Railway Network and will be connected to the NCR via the 37-kilometer Tutuban-Malolos commuter line and the Subic-Clark Railway, where the north line will begin.
The northwestern line to the Ilocos Region will initially go all the way up to San Fernando City in La Union while the northeastern line, which starts in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, will have connecting line to the North Long-Haul Rail main line in New Clark, Tarlac City.
DOTr said the project is envisioned to cater to long-distance passengers and cargoes, and will improve access to major economic centers and strengthen supply chains for agricultural products. The project includes construction of new stations and cargo terminals.
The NCR EDSA Busway is designed to enhance the existing EDSA carousel. New stations will be developed and existing facilities will be enhanced to make them universally accessible, gender responsive, and climate resilient. Services will likewise be upgraded and aligned to international standards, DOTr said.
The Manila Bay-Pasig River-Laguna Lake Ferry, meanwhile, will be a high-capacity and high-quality mass transit ferry system that will benefit commuters, students, and tourists in the NCR, Region III (Central Luzon), and Region IV-A (Calabarzon).
New ferry stations will be built and existing facilities improved with intermodal transfers on other transit systems and active mobility networks.
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