DOTr to address concerns over MindaRail alignment
DAVAO CITY – Transportation Assistant Secretary Eymard Eje said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) will “reconsider and study” the concerns of the property owners on the latest railway alignment of the Mindanao Railway (MindaRail) on the Davao City side, but maintained the proposed path would have the least impact.
Eje said, in an interview, the latest identified alignment will still remain but with “due considerations with the issues that all concerns raised earlier” because redoing it might affect more stakeholders and entail bigger cost on the government.
Several stakeholders, mostly residents of the posh subdivision Monteritz located along Diversion Road in Ma-a, Davao City, said they were not against the construction of the railway system, but expressed concern about how the proposed railway alignment would affect their lives since it would be passing through their subdivision.
Brian Toh, trustee of the Davao Christian High School, also located in Ma-a, expressed concern that the school operation might be affected if the DOTr pushes through with the alignment that consumes a portion of the lane leading to the school entrance gate.
He said they plan to construct new buildings soon at the back of their property to house their college department, as their campus in V. Mapa Street, Poblacion District here was already congested.
“While the rail is passing through our entrance, the lot at the back is supposed to be our future building. We are planning to put up our college there and it is already planned before we set up that high school and preschool building,” Toh said, asking DOTr if they can reconsider the alignment.
Eje assured the affected the property owners that he will raise their concerns with Transportation secretary Arthur Tugade and hold another consultation meet with them again.
He said the DOTr and City Council held the hearing as the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) pushes for a local ordinance prohibiting further construction of more structures along the path of the railway.
“The good councilor set a hearing to determine which are the properties that will be affected by the alignment so that they will be properly advised what particular areas will be prohibited for further structures,” he said.
Eje said the government wants to complete the project within the term of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, “otherwise if this will not be finished or even started within the term of the President, we will lose all our chances of having a better transport system in Mindanao.”
There is still no target date for the project’s groundbreaking as the NEDAInvestment Coordination Committee (ICC) has tentatively scheduled to deliberate on project’s change in scope and estimated cost on February 28, 2019, he said.
Changes in the project scope included changing from a single track to dual track railway; from diesel to electrified railway with 25 kV electrified overhead for the catenary system transmission of electrical energy to the trains wherein the wires are situated above the rails and 26 electrical multiple units; from 102-km. fully at-grade railway to 100 km railway with viaduct for the 26-km. elevated portion; and addition of the satellite depot in Davao City aside from main depot to be located in Tagum City.