Once operational, travel time between Calamba, Laguna and Legazpi, Albay will be shortened to four hours from the usual 12 hours and will serve 14.6 million passengers yearly.
A faster, more efficient form of transportation to Southern Luzon? That may no longer be just a pipe dream, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
A long-awaited dream will soon be a reality with the awarding of a $2.8-billion (P142 billion) contract for the Philippine National Railway’s (PNR) South Long Haul project to the Bicol Region, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.
DOTr awarded the contract for the 380-kilometer project to a Chinese joint venture comprising of China Railway Group Ltd., China Railway No. 3 Engineering Group Co. Ltd., and China Railway Engineering Consulting Group Co. Ltd. (CREC JV).
“Listed in both the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchange, CREC JV ranked 35th on the Fortune Global 500 list and 5th among China's top 500 enterprises in 2021,” the DOTr said in an announcement on Tuesday (January 18), a day after Tugade and representatives of the Chinese joint venture group signed the contract.
The construction will run from Barangay Banlic in Calamba, Laguna to Daraga, Albay.
The contract includes the design, construction, and electromechanical works for the project.
Aside from the construction of 380 kilometers of railway, the project will include 23 stations, 230 bridges, 10 passenger tunnels, and a 70-hectare depot in San Pablo, Laguna.
Once operational, travel time between Calamba, Laguna and Legazpi, Albay will be shortened to four hours from the usual 12 hours and will serve 14.6 million passengers yearly.
“We welcome this development full of enthusiasm as we will be working with rail experts known for their efficiency and speed in building long haul railways. This, along with our earnest goal to provide comfort and convenience to our commuters, will make this dream project a reality,” PNR General Manager Junn Magno said.
Along with its future segments, PNR-Bicol will consist 565-kilometer railway, connecting Metro Manila to the southern Luzon provinces of Sorsogon and Batangas.
Once fully operational, it will cut travel time between Metro Manila and Bicol from the current 12 hours by road to as short as 4 hours.
Passenger trains will run at a speed of up to 160 kilometers per hour, while freight trains will run at a speed of up to 100 kilometers per hour.
During construction, the project is expected to generate more than 5,000 direct jobs per year. (With report from PNA)
Tags: #OpinYonLaguna, #DepartmentOfTransportation, #PhilippineNationalRailways, #PNRSouthLongHaul, #BuildBuildBuild