DoTr seeks JICA tie-up expansion
DoTr officials met with JICA and the Japanese Ministry of Land Infrastructure Transport and Tourism on Wednesday to discuss areas of partnerships to further support the ongoing works at the Metro Manila Subway Project, or MMSP, and the North-South Commuter Railway System, or NSCR
The Department of Transportation is looking to expand its collaboration with Japanese partners, especially with the Japan International Cooperation Agency to hasten the completion of major railway projects.
Top DoTr officials met with JICA and the Japanese Ministry of Land Infrastructure Transport and Tourism on Wednesday to discuss areas of partnerships to further support the ongoing works at the Metro Manila Subway Project, or MMSP, and the North-South Commuter Railway System, or NSCR.
Japanese Embassy to the Philippines’ Economic Minister Nihei Daisuke, Japan International JICA Chief Representative to the Philippines Takema Sakamoto, and Japan National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies Dr. Morichi Shigeru were present during the discussion.
Transport Secretary Jaime J. Bautista pointed out that the 30-year railway master plan for the Philippines, currently under development, provided a foundation for discussions on the sustainable operations of the MMSP, NSCR, MRT-3, and other upcoming rail systems.
Beyond discussions
“Let us move beyond table-top discussions. Let us cascade the inertia of transformation to the frontlines of these projects. The challenge is to extract from today’s discussions how best to bridge the gap between our vision of an ideal rail industry and the status of our rail system operations,” Bautista said.
“We must focus on sustainable operations, which requires the collaboration of government and private operators,” he added.
The DoTr has been actively enticing Japanese companies to bid for various public-private partnership projects in the railway and aviation sectors.
Bautista previously cited the MMSP and the NSCR as hot projects that may need Japanese support.
Worth P76.89 billion, the 36-kilometer MMSP includes operations and maintenance for subway trains, stations, depot, and other systems infrastructure under a concession period of 15 years of full operations.
Also included are maintenance of facilities and equipment under the Philippine Railway Institute, collection of passenger fares, and commercial development rights within prescribed station boundaries, among others.
NSCR system
Meanwhile, the 147-kilometer NSCR system worth P204.6 billion includes operations and maintenance of trains, stations, depot, and other systems and infrastructure, and a concession period of 15 years of full operations in additThe project also includes interoperation management within the rail system by trains from other lines such as the subway project, collection of passenger fares, and exercise of commercial development rights within prescribed station boundaries, among others.