1st phase of 136-B Mindanao Railway Project begins

The first phase of the 136-billion, 102-kilometer Mindanao Railway Project: Tagum-Davao-Digos (MRP-TDD) will start in the third quarter of this year as scheduled, and is expected to be finished by the end of 2021, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced.

The MRP-TDD segment, the first of the three segments of the Mindanao Railway Project, can reduce travel time from Tagum City, Davao del Norte to Digos City, Davao del Sur from 3.5 hours to 1.3 hours once it starts operating in 2022.

“The railway will make travel time faster by two hours, with frequency of trips of up to six trains per hour,” according to DOTr officials.

Furthermore, it will make travel safer, more convenient and comfortable for passengers in the corridor.

The MRP-TDD will have eight stations, namely: Tagum, Carmen, Panabo, Mudiang, Davao Terminal, Toril, Sta. Cruz, and Digos. A 10-hectare depot will be built in Tagum.

The rail line will be built with a single track, with provisions for future tracks and electrification. It will have six five-car passenger trains (Diesel Multiple Units) with three spare cars, four locomotives and 15 freight cars.

Once the project is completed, the DOTr expects the daily ridership of the Tagum-Davao-Digos segment to increase to 134,060 by 2022.

The DOTr projects the daily ridership to further increase to 237,023 by 2032 and 375,134 by 2042. (EVA)