LRT URGED IN CEBU STUDY
A proposed Light Rail Transit (LRT) from Carcar to Danao is consistent with development plans for Cebu, a private sector representative of the Regional Development Council observed yesterday.
It is also one of the projects identified in a study for sustainable transportation and development in Metro Cebu, as identified by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), according to a social media post of the Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board (MCDCB).
During the weekend, a consortium of local and foreign companies said it was working with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to build the Metro Cebu LRT on design, finance, build, manage, and transfer terms.
The statement quoted Chris Kou, project developer, saying that the venture would include a subway in the central business district of Cebu City and an elevated LRT in parts beyond it. That’s for the first phase. An airport line is also being planned, which would require a bridge.
Glenn Soco, chairman of the Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) of the Regional Development Council (RDC) 7, said he welcomed the proposed LRT because Cebu needs a mass transport system that will solve its lingering traffic problem.
The proposal has not yet been submitted to the IDC, which will it before it will be submitted to the RDC Full Council, which can endorse it or not.
Soco added that the proposal will also go through the DOTr and will also need the approval of the National Economic and Development Authority-Investment Coordinating Council.
Oversight
“The DOTr as the implementing agency will likewise have oversight and regulatory functions (over this project),” Soco said.
Commenting on the LRT story, the MCDCB’s official account on Twitter (@mega_cebu) said: “This is in the JICA Roadmap Study for Sustainable Urban Development for Metro Cebu. This is what we need for Cebu.”
It did not elaborate.
In a post on its website last March 28, the MCDCB said that from 2013 to 2015, JICA prepared the “Roadmap Study for Sustainable Urban Development in Metro Cebu.” Since July last year, JICA has been working on a master plan study for urban transport in Metro Cebu, which includes identifying some priority projects.
On the other hand, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino said the LRT proposal will also be subjected to a Swiss challenge. He was optimistic that an LRT would partly solve Metro Cebu’s traffic.