PNR reopens Caloocan to Makati rail line

Twenty years after closing the Philippine National Railways (PNR) line from Caloocan to Dela Rosa in Makati, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) yesterday reopened the commuter service as part of the government’s initiative to revive the country’s rail system.

The Caloocan-Dela Rosa line is the fastest and most cost-efficient means of transportation from Caloocan to Makati, with running time of 37 minutes.

It was shut down sometime in 1997, as part of it was supposed to be utilized for the Northrail Project; however, much of the rail tracks lay unused.

Furthermore, “The Caloocan line segment was a departmental track which PNR used between the Tutuban and Caloocan workshops,” explained PNR General Manager Junn Magno.

“It was heavily damaged because of water intrusion, so we repaired the track back to common carrier grade. The Light Rail Transport Authority (LRTA) offered old ballast material in May, 2018. We used that to rebuild the track.”

“Then the Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) offered to haul it out of LRTA Pasay Yard. When things were in place we began refurbishing the old stations,” he added.

During yesterday’s soft opening, PNR deployed six trains with a total capacity of 700 to 800 to accommodate an expected 10,000 passengers.

Now, the first trip from Caloocan to Dela Rosa leaves at 5:45 a.m., while the last trip from Caloocan is at 5:15 p.m.

From Dela Rosa to Caloocan, the first trip leaves at 6:28 a.m., while the last trip is at 5:58 p.m.

The initial 13-km route run stops at 10th Avenue (Macario Asistio), 5th Avenue, Solis, Blumentritt, España, Sta. Mesa and Dela Rosa stations.

PNR set the minimum fare at P12 for non-aircon coaches and P15, for aircon.

The Caloocan-Dela Rosa, Makati Line shall be operational until the full blast construction of the PNR Manila-Clark Railway line.

PNR sought to rebuild the tracks to gradually transfer material away from the Caloocan workshops, to pave the way for the North-South Commuter Railway or the PNR North 1, which will run from Tutuban in Manila to Malolos in Bulacan.

The project broke ground in January this year, according to GM Magno.

“This is a good initiative from PNR,” says DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade.

“We will not just add, but also rehabilitate. We wanted to move fast, but at the same time, we had to ensure we’re not missing out on any possible solution. This is a good opportunity to make use of what is already there. This is added service to the public and additional earnings for the government,” he concluded. (EVA)

https://business.mb.com.ph/2018/08/01/pnr-reopens-caloocan-to-makati-rail-line/

Metro Manila subway construction to begin this year: Tugade

The construction of the Metro Manila subway, the biggest project under the government’s "Build, Build, Build" program, will begin this year, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade said Wednesday.

Tugade said the original start of the subway project is in 2019 but “this was expedited upon the agreement of the parties”.

Last March, the Philippine and Japan governments signed a loan agreement for the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) with the initial tranche amounting to JPY104.53 billion (USD935 million).

“We are still on track. We are starting the groundbreaking and formal construction by the end of the year,” Tugade said in a Palace press briefing.

Tugade said the construction will start at partial operability covering three stations -- North Avenue, Mindanao Avenue and Tandang Sora.

“This includes the construction of what we called the Railway Institute and depot in Valenzuela. All of this we are planning to start not later than December of the last quarter of this year,” he said.

During the signing of the loan agreement, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said Phase 1 of the 25-kilometer underground railway has an estimated cost of PHP356.96 billion (USD7.05 billion) and will have a total of 14 stations from Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Paranaque City.

He said the initial operation of the MMSP is targeted to start by 2022 while the full operation of the Phase 1 has been set for 2025.

Meanwhile, Tugade said the actual bidding for the construction of the Mindanao Railway will have a slight delay due to some changes he introduced in the project.

Tugade said the specifications of the Mindanao railway project should be the same with the railways in Central Luzon, where railways are double track, electric, not diesel-powered and should not be narrow standard.

“Having done this, there will be additional cost in Mindanao but that is a good addition. There will be slight delay but that is a good delay because the quality of the railroad track will be like in Central Luzon,” he explained.

Tugade said the groundbreaking of the Mindanao Railway project will depend on the signing of the loan agreement between the Philippines and China. (PNA)

PNR reopens Caloocan to Makati route

The Philippine National Railways said it reopened its train service from Caloocan City to Dela Rosa Street in Makati City, 20 years after it was closed to the public.

“This is a good initiative from PNR. We will not just add, but also rehabilitate,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

The Caloocan-Dela Rosa line is the fastest and most cost-efficient means of transportation along the 13-kilometer route, with running time of 37 minutes. It was shut down in 1997. A part of it was supposed to be utilized for the Northrail project, but much of the rail tracks were unused.

PNR general manager Junn Magno said the revival of the line segment was through the effort and cooperation of several agencies.

“The Caloocan line segment was a departmental track used by PNR between the Tutuban and Caloocan workshops. It was heavily damaged because of water intrusion, so we embarked to repair the track back to common carrier grade. The LRTA [Light Rail Transit Authority] offered old ballast material in May 2018; we used that to rebuild the track. Then the MNTC [Manila North Tollways Corp.]  offered to haul it out of LRTA Pasay Yard. When things were in place, we began refurbishing the old stations,” Magno said.

Magno said the original intent of rebuilding the track was to slowly transfer material away from the Caloocan workshops, in preparation of the North-South Commuter Railway or the PNR North 1, which will run from Tutuban in Manila to Malolos in Bulacan.

The project broke ground in January this year. Meanwhile, the Transportation Department decided to use the remaining track time to generate revenues at the same time serving the Caloocan-Makati corridor.
 
Six trains with a total capacity of 700 to 800 were deployed during the soft-opening today, to accommodate an expected 10,000 passengers.

The first trip from Caloocan to Dela Rosa leaves at 5:45 a.m., while the last trip from Caloocan is at 5:15 p.m. From Dela Rosa to Caloocan, the first trip leaves at 6:28 a.m., while the last trip is at 5:58 p.m.

The initial 13-km route run will stop at 10th Avenue (Macario Asistio), 5th Avenue, Solis, Blumentritt, España, Sta. Mesa and Dela Rosa stations. Minimum fare is P12 (non-aircon) and P15 (aircon).

The Caloocan-Dela Rosa, Makati Line will remain operational until the construction of the PNR Manila-Clark Railway line goes at full blast.

Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway: Construction photos (July 2018)