Bautista bats for

Rail solution

for MM traffic woes

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) plans to build more railway systems for Metro Manila in a bid to alleviate the traffic crisis hounding the National Capital Region.

In an online interview,  Secretary Jaime Bautista said the DOTr believes that rail transportation could provide the answer to Metro Manila’s traffic woes which appeared to have worsened over the past few months.

“Rail transportation is the ideal mode for Metro Manila,” he pointed out.

“We are now working closely with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the preparation of a 30-year master plan for rail transportation,” Bautista said. 

JICA officials confirmed talks for the prospective collaboration with the Philippine government for the said master plan. In a statement, JICA Chief Representative Sakamoto Takema said the agency “welcomes this new partnership with the Philippine government.

“While JICA has been providing massive support to the development of quality railway systems in the Philippines, this is the time to further boost the strongest ever growth momentum in the country, and it requires a transport backbone, especially a modernized and effective railway network we can build hand-in-hand,” Takema added.

In the interview, Bautista said the blueprint will include the development of a network of railway lines and more railway routes which will help alleviate the difficulties in commuting.

He lamented that there are only three rail lines serving Metro Manila today: Light Rail Transit line 1 and 2, and MRT 3. He said the DOTr expects the completion next year of MRT 7 which runs from San Jose del Monte City to EDSA, and of the Metro Manila Subway System in 2029.

Bautista also cited the North South Commuter Rail (NSCR) Project. The project, jointly funded by JICA and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is a 147-kilometer modern rail system which will connect Calamba City and Clark. The NSCR will pass through Metro Manila and is expected to cut travel time by more than half.

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