THE BIGGEST railway project of the government so far is expected to start commercial operations in 2020, after its public-private partnership (PPP) component on Monday secured final approval from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board, a Cabinet official said on Tuesday.
Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya said during a briefing in Mandaluyong City that the first phase of the P287-billion North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project is “targeted to be operational in the third quarter of 2020.”
The first phase of the NSCR, according to Mr. Abaya, will involve the construction of a 36.7-kilometer elevated commuter railway from Malolos, Bulacan to Tutuban, Manila. This will involve a project cost of P117 billion.
The construction period is targeted to start in the first quarter of 2017 and end in the third quarter of 2020, according to a presentation by the Transportation department.
The NSCR is being studied as an official development assistance (ODA)-funded project, though funding out of the National Budget is also an option.
“Initially, there is a (Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)) proposal to do it through ODA funding. So we’ve been instructed to talk to JICA; but... the government has the option to finance the project through the National Budget; we think it would be the fastest way,” Mr. Abaya said.
Once it becomes operational in 2020, the average daily ridership for the Malolos-Tutuban line is estimated at 340,000 passengers.
Meanwhile, the second phase of the NSCR, representing the PPP component of the deal, will involve commuter lines connecting Tutuban to the southern peripheries of Metro Manila plus a long-haul network to the Bicol provinces, with an initial terminus in Legazpi City and a branch line eventually connecting Matnog, Sorsogon.
The NSCR South Line PPP deal was one of the projects approved by the NEDA Board yesterday.
The Transportation department is targeting to start the construction period in the first quarter of 2016 and end in the fourth quarter of 2019.
“We are targeting to start the operations of the South Line in the first quarter of 2020, once we publish the invitation to bid in the second quarter this year and issue notice of award by yearend,” Mr. Abaya said.
“For a mega city like Manila, it is clearly a consequence of a growing economy is the growing capacity of our people to own their own vehicles -- clearly, with our traffic that is not the way to go. And the solution to that natural tendency is to develop mass transit systems. Thus government is investing in rails, in BRTs (bus rapid transit), likewise reforming the bus system,” Mr. Abaya said.
“As we are now, there is a right mix. 80% of our riding public really use public transportation, 20% use private cars. However, we are all in smaller modes like jeeps, tricycles and UVs (utility vehicles). The direction is to migrate the smaller PUVs (public utility vehicles) to mass transport systems and eventually migrate private owners into mass transit systems,” he added.
Nine PPP deals have been awarded since the program was launched in 2010: the P2.5-billion Integrated Transport System-Southwest Terminal project; the P17.52-billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport Project; the P64.9-billion LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension; the P1.72-billion Automatic Fare Collection System; the P2.01-billion Daang Hari-South Luzon Expressway Link Road; the P15.52-billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway; the P16.28-billion first phase of the PPP for School Infrastructure Project (PSIP); the PSIP’s P3.86-billion second phase; and the P5.69-billion Philippine Orthopedic Center modernization.
source: Businessworld
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