Transportation dep’t gets P200M for railway projects

THE Department of Transportation has secured a P200-million grant from the Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF) for Mindanao Railway Project Phase 3 and San Mateo Railway Project feasibility studies.

Transportation Assistant Secretary Leonel De Velez said P100 million for each project had been approved by the PDMF committee. The PDMF, meanwhile, is a revolving fund managed by the PPP Center.

Both projects, De Velez said, follow President Marcos Jr.’s “Build Better More” initiative in line with the recently approved Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 that prioritizes the construction of mass transit systems throughout the country.

Once studies are completed, the projects will be submitted for the approval of the Investment Coordination Committee to confirm their viability for public-private partnership (PPP) implementation.

The Mindanao Railway Project, Phase 3 and the San Mateo Railway Project are planned to be undertaken using the PPP scheme via the solicited mode.

The San Mateo project involves the financing, design, construction, and operations and maintenance (O&M) of about 17-km feeder railway line connecting LRT 2 to the municipalities of San Mateo and Rodriguez, Rizal.

The railway will connect Marikina City, San Mateo, and Rodriquez, Rizal, is expected to have six stations and mostly run parallel to the riverbanks.

The Mindanao Railway Phase 3, meanwhile, is a 54.8-kilometer segment of the Mindanao Railway System spanning the highly urbanized city of Cagayan de Oro and connecting the municipalities of Laguindingan and Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.

The whole Mindanao Railway is a 1,544-kilometer system that will span the entire island. It aims to improve the efficiency of transport and connectivity to major cities and other gateways in Mindanao such as Davao, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Cotabato, Zamboanga, Butuan, Surigao, and Malaybalay, Bukidnon).

The PDMF committee is chaired by the National Economic Development Authority with the Department of Finance, Department of Budget and Management, and the PPP Center as members of the Committee.

The PPP Center acts as the PDMF Secretariat.