PH adopts National Transport Policy

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The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board on June 27 has approved for adoption the National Transport Policy (NTP) which seeks to unify all transport-related projects.

At the same meeting the NEDA Board, chaired by President Rodrigo Duterte, approved 11 infrastructure projects, six of which are transport-focused, including the first phase of the Mindanao Railway Project and the Malolos-Clark Railway Project.

The Board decided to adopt the NTP that aims to synchronize decisions and investments of all transport-related agencies and to better coordinate such efforts between the national and local levels.

The NTP envisions a national transport system that is “safe, secure, reliable, efficient, integrated, intermodal, affordable, cost-effective, environmentally sustainable, and people-oriented,” according to a NEDA statement.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said the primary goal of the administration is to translate the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 into actual programs that will benefit Filipinos, especially in easing traffic in urban areas.

“The government assures the people that the problem of congestion on the roads is still being prioritized. The NTP is a priority strategy reflected in the PDP as we seek to provide accessible social services through better connectivity,” Pernia said.

The corresponding implementing rules and regulations of the NTP have yet to be formulated.

Among 11 infrastructure projects approved by the NEDA Board is Phase 1 (Tagum-Davao-Digos segment) of the proposed 830-kilometer Mindanao Railway Project loop. This phase involves a 102.28-kilometer commuter railway connecting Tagum in Davao Del Norte, Davao City, and Digos in Davao Del Sur. It will have eight stations: Tagum, Carmen, Panabo, Mudiang, Davao Terminal, Toril, Sta. Cruz, and Digos.

The project has an estimated cost of P35.26 billion to be funded through general appropriations. Construction is expected to begin by the third quarter of 2018 and operation by 2020, with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) tasked to fast track the right-of-way acquisition.

The Mindanao Railway Project will be the first rail system outside Luzon. Once completed, the entire Mindanao Railway System will run for a total of 1,532 kilometers, connecting Iligan, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, and Zamboanga and spuring growth in the region.

DOTr targets building and operating 1,500 kilometers of railways nationwide before the current administration ends.

Another is the Malolos-Clark Railway Project (part of the PNR North 2 Project), which involves constructing a commuter line and an airport express railway between Malolos and Clark Green City (CGC) through Clark International Airport (CRK).

The project comes in two phases. Phase I covers the Malolos to CRK stretch involving 50.5 kilometers, while Phase II features the 19-kilometer-long CRK to CGC segment.

Phase 2 of the PNR North Project will cost P211.4 billion, funded through official development assistance (ODA) by Japan International Cooperation Agency. Construction will begin by the fourth quarter of this year.

The second phase is a 68.7-kilometer line with seven stations from Malolos all the way to New Clark City. While it will use the existing PNR alignment, the project will be elevated and electrified, and will run mostly on dual tracks.

The Malolos-Clark segment is part of the entire 106-kilometer PNR North Project, which will start in Tutuban, Manila and have a total of 17 stations.

In order to connect key cities in the country, the PNR North Project is designed to interoperate with the PNR South Commuter Line from Manila to Los Baños, Laguna.

Also approved was the expansion of CRK terminal, which will be undertaken and funded partially by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority. The remaining investment requirement of P12.55 billion is to be funded through local financing; the operations and maintenance will later be bidded out under the public-private partnership scheme.

The CRK project, an 82,600-square-meter terminal building, has a design capacity of eight million passengers yearly and is projected to be completed by 2019.

The NEDA Board also approved the new Communications, Navigation and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) Systems Development Project that involves two components.

Package 1 includes building an ATM automation system and constructing the Manila ATM center building in Pasay City. Package 2 will install communications equipment and surveillance equipment on four radar sites (Tagaytay, Palawan, Zamboanga, and Davao).

The P10.87-billion project, to be ODA-funded, is expected to improve the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the air traffic system in the country. It is set for completion by 2019.

The new configuration of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 North Extension Project and the Common Station/Unified Grand Central Station (North Extension Project) of DOTr was also given the NEDA Board go signal.

The proposed configuration includes a total concourse area of 13,700 square meters connecting LRT Line 1 North Extension, Metro Rail Transit Line 3, and MRT Line 7 at the corner of North Avenue and EDSA.

The P2.8-billion project, which will be financed locally, is expected to deliver the required level of service for up to 1.28 million passengers per day when completed in April 2019.

In addition, the NEDA Board gave its nod to the planned change in scope, cost, and financing arrangements for the Arterial Road Bypass Project Phase II of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

The project strives to complete the remaining segments of the Plaridel Bypass Road to alleviate the perennial traffic congestion at the interconnection point of North Luzon Expressway and Daang Maharlika Highway.

The change will increase the total project cost from P3.34 billion to P4.62 billion. To be financed through ODA, the project is expected to be completed by 2019.

Other undertakings approved by the board are the Cavite Industrial Area Flood Risk Management Project; Education Pathways to Peace in Conflict-Affected Areas of Mindanao; Australia Awards and Alumni Engagement Program-Philippines; approval and change in financing of the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project; and change in financing of the New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam Project.

Image courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net