Issues involving the acquisition of a property needed for the development of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) have been resolved in favor of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and conglomerate San Miguel Corp., increasing the project’s chances of commencing partial operations by 2021.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said works on the MRT-7’s 20-hectare depot formally started on Tuesday after nearly two years of court hearings and appeals to obtain the site.
The agency said writs of possession issued by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 92 and 98 in favor of the DOTr and its concessionaire, SMC Mass Rail Transit 7 Inc. (SMRT7) of San Miguel, were successfully enforced by sheriffs of the two courts.
The writs of possession in favor of the DOTr and SMRT7 were issued by the QC RTC Branches 92 and 98 on Nov. 22 and Nov. 25, respectively.
A writ of possession is a writ of execution employed to enforce a judgment to recover the possession of land, commanding the sheriff to enter the land and give its possession to the party entitled under the judgment.
The property owners previously refused the DOTr’s current market value offer, forcing the agency and SMRT7, in coordination with the Office of the Solicitor General, to file expropriation cases last Nov. 15.
Pursuant to Republic Act 10752 or the new Right-of-Way Act, the DOTr said it offered to buy the depot site from its owners at current market value, as appraised by a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas-accredited independent property appraiser.
“The start of depot works signifies much more than a dot in the timeline of the project. It shows us that when the judiciary work hand in hand with the executive department, we are able to pick up speed in delivering infrastructure development to the Filipino people,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.
The DOTr said the depot site along Quirino Highway in Barangay Lagro, Quezon City, was found optimal for “right-of-way implementability, asset constructibility, capital expenditure and operational expense efficiency, and operational reliability and maintainability.”
Tugade approved the depot site during his inspection last June.
The MRT-7 is a 23-kilometer railway with 13 stations that will connect San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan with North Avenue in Quezon City in about 34 minutes.
Once operational, the line is expected to ferry between 300,000 and 850,000 passengers per day, with room for capacity expansion to accommodate future increases in ridership.
It will be connected to LRT-1, MRT-3, and the Metro Manila Subway at the Common Station in North Avenue.
The DOTr said the MRT-7 project is 49 percent complete as of end-October and is scheduled to begin its partial operations running from the North EDSA common station to Fairview in 2021.
https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/11/28/1972337/smc-dotr-allowed-take-over-quezon-city-property-mrt-7
Thursday, November 28, 2019
MRT-7 expected to begin partial operations by ‘21
The Department of Transportation said Wednesday it expects Metro Rail Transit Line 7 to start partial operations by 2021.
The agency said in a statement the MRT Line 7 project, which runs 22 kilometers from North Ave. in Quezon City to San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan, was 49.15-percent into completion as of October 2019.
It said MRT-7’s 20-hectare depot started to take shape after the writs of possession issued by Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 92 and 98 in favor of DOTr and concessionaire SMC Mass Rail Transit 7 Inc. were successfully enforced by sheriffs of the two courts. Works on the depot formally started on Nov. 26.
The DOTr and SMRT7 identified the new depot site along Quirino Highway in Barangay Lagro, Quezon City, which was found optimal for right-of-way implementability, asset constructibility, capital expenditure and operational expense efficiency and operational reliability and maintainability.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade approved the depot site during an inspection on June 29, 2019.
“The start of depot works signifies much more than a dot in the timeline of the project. It shows us that when the judiciary works hand in hand with the executive department, we are able to pick up speed in delivering infrastructure development to the Filipino people,” Tugade said.
Pursuant to Republic Act No. 10752 or the new Right-of-Way Act, the DOTr offered to buy the depot site from a major real estate development company at current market value, as appraised by an independent property appraiser accredited by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
The property owners refused the DOTr’s current market value offer, forcing the DOTr and SMRT7, in coordination with the Office of the Solicitor General, to file expropriation cases on Nov. 15. The QC RTC Branches 92 and 98 issued writs of possession in favor of the DOTr and SMRT7 on Nov. 22 and Nov. 25, respectively.
A writ of possession is a writ of execution employed to enforce a judgment to recover the possession of land. It commands the sheriff to enter the land and give its possession to the party entitled under the judgment.
The P69.3-billion MRT 7 project, which will have 14 stations, is being built by SMC Mass Rail Transit 7 Inc. under SMC’s infrastructure subsidiary San Miguel Holdings Inc.
San Miguel tapped Hyundai Rotem and EEI consortium to build the railway line which will have stations at North Ave., Quezon Memorial Circle, University Avenue, Tandang Sora, Don Antonio, Batasan, Manggahan, Doña Carmen, Regalado, Mindanao Avenue, Quirino, Sacred Heart, Tala and San Jose del Monte.
Once completed by 2021, the 22-kilometer rail line will reduce travel time between Quezon City and San Jose del Monte City from two to three hours to only 35 minutes.
The agency said in a statement the MRT Line 7 project, which runs 22 kilometers from North Ave. in Quezon City to San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan, was 49.15-percent into completion as of October 2019.
It said MRT-7’s 20-hectare depot started to take shape after the writs of possession issued by Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 92 and 98 in favor of DOTr and concessionaire SMC Mass Rail Transit 7 Inc. were successfully enforced by sheriffs of the two courts. Works on the depot formally started on Nov. 26.
The DOTr and SMRT7 identified the new depot site along Quirino Highway in Barangay Lagro, Quezon City, which was found optimal for right-of-way implementability, asset constructibility, capital expenditure and operational expense efficiency and operational reliability and maintainability.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade approved the depot site during an inspection on June 29, 2019.
“The start of depot works signifies much more than a dot in the timeline of the project. It shows us that when the judiciary works hand in hand with the executive department, we are able to pick up speed in delivering infrastructure development to the Filipino people,” Tugade said.
Pursuant to Republic Act No. 10752 or the new Right-of-Way Act, the DOTr offered to buy the depot site from a major real estate development company at current market value, as appraised by an independent property appraiser accredited by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
The property owners refused the DOTr’s current market value offer, forcing the DOTr and SMRT7, in coordination with the Office of the Solicitor General, to file expropriation cases on Nov. 15. The QC RTC Branches 92 and 98 issued writs of possession in favor of the DOTr and SMRT7 on Nov. 22 and Nov. 25, respectively.
A writ of possession is a writ of execution employed to enforce a judgment to recover the possession of land. It commands the sheriff to enter the land and give its possession to the party entitled under the judgment.
The P69.3-billion MRT 7 project, which will have 14 stations, is being built by SMC Mass Rail Transit 7 Inc. under SMC’s infrastructure subsidiary San Miguel Holdings Inc.
San Miguel tapped Hyundai Rotem and EEI consortium to build the railway line which will have stations at North Ave., Quezon Memorial Circle, University Avenue, Tandang Sora, Don Antonio, Batasan, Manggahan, Doña Carmen, Regalado, Mindanao Avenue, Quirino, Sacred Heart, Tala and San Jose del Monte.
Once completed by 2021, the 22-kilometer rail line will reduce travel time between Quezon City and San Jose del Monte City from two to three hours to only 35 minutes.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
MRT-7 depot construction starts as courts grant DOTr, SMC right of way
The construction of the 20-hectare depot of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT-7) has finally started, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Wednesday.
This development came after local courts have granted the DOTr and concessionaire San Miguel Corp. (SMRT7) possession of the land where the depot will be built.
The DOTr said works on the depot formally started on Tuesday, November 26.
“After 17 years since the submission of the unsolicited proposal for the project and after nearly two years of court hearings and appeals to obtain a site, the MRT-7’s 20-hectare depot is finally starting to take shape,” DOTr said in a statement.
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 92 and 98 issued Writs of Possession in favor of the DOTr and its concessionaire, SMC Mass Rail Transit 7, Inc. (SMRT7), which were then successfully enforced by sheriffs of the courts.
A writ of possession is a document issued by the court after the landlord wins an eviction lawsuit. The writ of possession is served on the tenant by the sheriff.
Joining the two sheriffs in enforcing the Writs were a contingent of Philippine National Police (PNP) and SWAT personnel as well as Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan and Assistant Secretary for Procurement and Project Implementation and Right-of-Way Acquisition Committee Chairman Giovanni Lopez.
The site of the new depot is located along Quirino Highway in Brgy. Lagro, Quezon City. The DOTr said it was “optimal for right-of-way implementability, asset constructibility, capital expenditure and operational expense efficiency, and operational reliability and maintainability.”
Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade approved the depot site during his inspection on June 29, 2019.
“The start of depot works signifies much more than a dot in the timeline of the project. It shows us that when the judiciary work hand in hand with the executive department, we are able to pick up speed in delivering infrastructure development to the Filipino people,” Tugade said in the statement.
The DOTr said it initially offered to buy the depot site from its owners at current market value, as appraised by a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) accredited independent property appraiser.
However, the property owners, which are largely comprised of a major real estate development company, refused the agency’s offer, forcing the DOTr and SMRT7, with the help of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), to file expropriation cases last Nov. 15.
Writs of Possession in favor of the DOTr and SMRT7 were issued on Nov. 22 and Nov. 25.
MRT-7 is a 22.8-kilometer elevated train line, with 13 stations to run from North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan province.
The P69.3-billion project, once operational, is expected to transport between 300,000 to 850,000 passengers per day. It will be inter-connected with the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), MRT-3, and the Metro Manila Subway at the Common Station in North Avenue.
The train line is also expected to slash travel time from Bulacan to Quezon City from two to three hours to 35 minutes.
As of October 2019, the DOTr said the MRT-7 project is 49.15%. It is set to begin partial operations in 2021.
The project, which was started under the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III, was initially eyed to be finished this year.
However, its completion was delayed due to right-of-way issues, the DOTr earlier explained.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1195091/mrt-7-depot-works-start-as-courts-grant-dotr-smrt7-writ-of-possession
This development came after local courts have granted the DOTr and concessionaire San Miguel Corp. (SMRT7) possession of the land where the depot will be built.
The DOTr said works on the depot formally started on Tuesday, November 26.
“After 17 years since the submission of the unsolicited proposal for the project and after nearly two years of court hearings and appeals to obtain a site, the MRT-7’s 20-hectare depot is finally starting to take shape,” DOTr said in a statement.
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 92 and 98 issued Writs of Possession in favor of the DOTr and its concessionaire, SMC Mass Rail Transit 7, Inc. (SMRT7), which were then successfully enforced by sheriffs of the courts.
A writ of possession is a document issued by the court after the landlord wins an eviction lawsuit. The writ of possession is served on the tenant by the sheriff.
Joining the two sheriffs in enforcing the Writs were a contingent of Philippine National Police (PNP) and SWAT personnel as well as Transportation Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan and Assistant Secretary for Procurement and Project Implementation and Right-of-Way Acquisition Committee Chairman Giovanni Lopez.
The site of the new depot is located along Quirino Highway in Brgy. Lagro, Quezon City. The DOTr said it was “optimal for right-of-way implementability, asset constructibility, capital expenditure and operational expense efficiency, and operational reliability and maintainability.”
Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade approved the depot site during his inspection on June 29, 2019.
“The start of depot works signifies much more than a dot in the timeline of the project. It shows us that when the judiciary work hand in hand with the executive department, we are able to pick up speed in delivering infrastructure development to the Filipino people,” Tugade said in the statement.
The DOTr said it initially offered to buy the depot site from its owners at current market value, as appraised by a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) accredited independent property appraiser.
However, the property owners, which are largely comprised of a major real estate development company, refused the agency’s offer, forcing the DOTr and SMRT7, with the help of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), to file expropriation cases last Nov. 15.
Writs of Possession in favor of the DOTr and SMRT7 were issued on Nov. 22 and Nov. 25.
MRT-7 is a 22.8-kilometer elevated train line, with 13 stations to run from North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan province.
The P69.3-billion project, once operational, is expected to transport between 300,000 to 850,000 passengers per day. It will be inter-connected with the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), MRT-3, and the Metro Manila Subway at the Common Station in North Avenue.
The train line is also expected to slash travel time from Bulacan to Quezon City from two to three hours to 35 minutes.
As of October 2019, the DOTr said the MRT-7 project is 49.15%. It is set to begin partial operations in 2021.
The project, which was started under the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III, was initially eyed to be finished this year.
However, its completion was delayed due to right-of-way issues, the DOTr earlier explained.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1195091/mrt-7-depot-works-start-as-courts-grant-dotr-smrt7-writ-of-possession
MRT7 depot works commence as QC court grants DOTr, SMC-MRT7 writ of possession
Works at the Metro Rail Transit Line 7’s (MRT7) depot in Quezon City has finally commenced after a court granted the project’s parties possession of the land where the depot will be built.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said “works on the depot formally started yesterday, 26 November 2019.”
“This after Writs of Possession issued by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 92 and 98 in favor of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and its concessionaire, SMC Mass Rail Transit 7, Inc. (SMRT7), were successfully enforced by sheriffs of the two courts,” it said.
A writ of possession is a writ of execution employed to enforce a judgment to recover the possession of land. It commands the sheriff to enter the land and give its possession to the party entitled under the judgment.
The DOTr said the MRT7’s 20-hectare depot is “finally starting to take shape” after 17 years since the submission of the unsolicited proposal for the project and after nearly two years of court hearings and appeals to obtain a site.
Joining Branch 92 Sheriff Francisco Emmanuel T. San Andres and Branch 98 Sheriff Bienvenido S. Reyes, Jr. in enforcing the writs were a contingent of PNP and SWAT personnel led by Station 5 (Fairview) Commander Col. Jeffrey Bilaro, as well as DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan and Assistant Secretary for Procurement and Project Implementation and Right-of-Way Acquisition Committee Chairman Giovanni Lopez.
The DOTr and SMRT7 identified the new depot site along Quirino Highway in Barangay Lagro, Quezon City, which was found optimal for right-of-way implement ability, asset constructibility, capital expenditure and operational expense efficiency, and operational reliability and maintainability.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade approved the depot site during his inspection on June 29, 2019.
“The start of depot works signifies much more than a dot in the timeline of the project. It shows us that when the judiciary work hand in hand with the executive department, we are able to pick up speed in delivering infrastructure development to the Filipino people,” Tugade said.
Pursuant to Republic Act No. 10752 or the new Right-of-Way Act, the DOTr offered to buy the depot site from its owners at current market value, as appraised by a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) accredited independent property appraiser.
However, the property owners refused the DOTr’s current market value offer, forcing the DOTr and SMRT7, in coordination with the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), to file expropriation cases last November 15.
On November 22 and November 25, Writs of Possession in favor of the DOTr and SMRT7 were issued by the QC RTC Branches 92 and 98.
MRT7 is a 23-km. railway with 13 stations that will connect San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan with North Avenue in Quezon City in about 34 minutes.
Once operational, the line is expected to ferry between 300,000 to 850,000 passengers per day, with room for capacity expansion to accommodate future increases in ridership. It will be connected to LRT-1, MRT-3, and the Metro Manila Subway at the Common Station in North Avenue.
As of October 2019, the MRT-7 project is 49.15% complete. It is scheduled to begin partial operations in 2021. —KBK, GMA News
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/716925/mrt7-depot-works-commence-as-qc-court-grants-dotr-smmrt7-writ-of-possession/story/
In a statement on Wednesday, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said “works on the depot formally started yesterday, 26 November 2019.”
“This after Writs of Possession issued by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 92 and 98 in favor of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and its concessionaire, SMC Mass Rail Transit 7, Inc. (SMRT7), were successfully enforced by sheriffs of the two courts,” it said.
A writ of possession is a writ of execution employed to enforce a judgment to recover the possession of land. It commands the sheriff to enter the land and give its possession to the party entitled under the judgment.
The DOTr said the MRT7’s 20-hectare depot is “finally starting to take shape” after 17 years since the submission of the unsolicited proposal for the project and after nearly two years of court hearings and appeals to obtain a site.
Joining Branch 92 Sheriff Francisco Emmanuel T. San Andres and Branch 98 Sheriff Bienvenido S. Reyes, Jr. in enforcing the writs were a contingent of PNP and SWAT personnel led by Station 5 (Fairview) Commander Col. Jeffrey Bilaro, as well as DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan and Assistant Secretary for Procurement and Project Implementation and Right-of-Way Acquisition Committee Chairman Giovanni Lopez.
The DOTr and SMRT7 identified the new depot site along Quirino Highway in Barangay Lagro, Quezon City, which was found optimal for right-of-way implement ability, asset constructibility, capital expenditure and operational expense efficiency, and operational reliability and maintainability.
Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade approved the depot site during his inspection on June 29, 2019.
“The start of depot works signifies much more than a dot in the timeline of the project. It shows us that when the judiciary work hand in hand with the executive department, we are able to pick up speed in delivering infrastructure development to the Filipino people,” Tugade said.
Pursuant to Republic Act No. 10752 or the new Right-of-Way Act, the DOTr offered to buy the depot site from its owners at current market value, as appraised by a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) accredited independent property appraiser.
However, the property owners refused the DOTr’s current market value offer, forcing the DOTr and SMRT7, in coordination with the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), to file expropriation cases last November 15.
On November 22 and November 25, Writs of Possession in favor of the DOTr and SMRT7 were issued by the QC RTC Branches 92 and 98.
MRT7 is a 23-km. railway with 13 stations that will connect San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan with North Avenue in Quezon City in about 34 minutes.
Once operational, the line is expected to ferry between 300,000 to 850,000 passengers per day, with room for capacity expansion to accommodate future increases in ridership. It will be connected to LRT-1, MRT-3, and the Metro Manila Subway at the Common Station in North Avenue.
As of October 2019, the MRT-7 project is 49.15% complete. It is scheduled to begin partial operations in 2021. —KBK, GMA News
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/716925/mrt7-depot-works-commence-as-qc-court-grants-dotr-smmrt7-writ-of-possession/story/
Return to provisional operations of LRT Line 2 eyed by March or april
It may take around four months or more before power could be restored to the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2’s three stations that were shut down on Oct. 3 after two rectifiers (transformers) exploded and caught fire.
The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) said on Tuesday that it had asked its contractors to submit quotations for the train line’s damaged spare parts to meet the six-month deadline set by Congress for the resumption of provisional operations. Six contracts with a total approved budget of P562.9 million are at stake.
In an interview, LRTA spokesperson Hernando Cabrera said they were hoping to restore power to the shuttered stations—Anonas, Katipunan and Santolan—by March or April next year so that the maintenance of all trains could again be done at the Santolan depot.
Right now, maintenance of the five operational LRT 2 trains are being done on the tracks, in between stations. Two other trains are stuck between the shuttered stations and have not been operating since Oct. 3.
Cabrera added that they were targeting June for the reopening of the three stations to the public. At the moment, the LRT 2 runs only between Recto and Araneta Center-Cubao stations.
The LRTA board has been meeting twice a month to settle funding and procurement issues for the facilities damaged by the explosion and fire.
They have decided to resort to emergency negotiated procurement, meaning, the agency will directly negotiate contracts with its existing contractors and suppliers instead of holding a bidding.
Initially, Cabrera said, the board intended to acquire the existing rectifiers at the yet to be completed Common Station, But these were below the LRT 2’s specifications of 1,500 volts.
So far, the LRTA has divided the damaged components into four facilities: power, fiber optics, telecommunications and signaling.
The first six requests for quotation seen by the Inquirer sought to remedy the first two.
In the first contract, the LRTA asked Railworks Corp. to submit a proposal for the restoration of 120 single-mode fiber optic cables with a one-year warranty, under a P2.5 million approved budget for the contract (ABC).
In the second contract, the LRTA asked Autre Porte Technique, Inc.-Multi-Scan Corp.-Opus Land Inc. Joint Venture (Amsco JV) to repair and restore two train sets within 125 calendar days, with an ABC of P13 million.
The third contract with an ABC of P235 million covers the restoration of rectifiers 4, 5 and 6 and is part of the four packages meant to fix the damaged transformers and restore power to the three stations.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1194938/return-to-provisional-operations-of-lrt-line-2-eyed-by-march-or-april
The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) said on Tuesday that it had asked its contractors to submit quotations for the train line’s damaged spare parts to meet the six-month deadline set by Congress for the resumption of provisional operations. Six contracts with a total approved budget of P562.9 million are at stake.
In an interview, LRTA spokesperson Hernando Cabrera said they were hoping to restore power to the shuttered stations—Anonas, Katipunan and Santolan—by March or April next year so that the maintenance of all trains could again be done at the Santolan depot.
Right now, maintenance of the five operational LRT 2 trains are being done on the tracks, in between stations. Two other trains are stuck between the shuttered stations and have not been operating since Oct. 3.
Cabrera added that they were targeting June for the reopening of the three stations to the public. At the moment, the LRT 2 runs only between Recto and Araneta Center-Cubao stations.
The LRTA board has been meeting twice a month to settle funding and procurement issues for the facilities damaged by the explosion and fire.
They have decided to resort to emergency negotiated procurement, meaning, the agency will directly negotiate contracts with its existing contractors and suppliers instead of holding a bidding.
Initially, Cabrera said, the board intended to acquire the existing rectifiers at the yet to be completed Common Station, But these were below the LRT 2’s specifications of 1,500 volts.
So far, the LRTA has divided the damaged components into four facilities: power, fiber optics, telecommunications and signaling.
The first six requests for quotation seen by the Inquirer sought to remedy the first two.
In the first contract, the LRTA asked Railworks Corp. to submit a proposal for the restoration of 120 single-mode fiber optic cables with a one-year warranty, under a P2.5 million approved budget for the contract (ABC).
In the second contract, the LRTA asked Autre Porte Technique, Inc.-Multi-Scan Corp.-Opus Land Inc. Joint Venture (Amsco JV) to repair and restore two train sets within 125 calendar days, with an ABC of P13 million.
The third contract with an ABC of P235 million covers the restoration of rectifiers 4, 5 and 6 and is part of the four packages meant to fix the damaged transformers and restore power to the three stations.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1194938/return-to-provisional-operations-of-lrt-line-2-eyed-by-march-or-april
Friday, November 22, 2019
South rail to start in Q2—Salceda
Phase 1 of the P175-billion Philippine National Railways South Long Haul project from Calamba City, Laguna to Legazpi City, Albay will start construction in the second quarter of 2020.
Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, who has been pushing for the project for many years, said the bidding for the 408-kilometer PNR segment was completed November this year and would be awarded to the winning contractor in April 2020.
The PNR Long Haul stretch consists of a 639-kilometer standard gauge railroad tracks from Manila to Sorsogon, a component of the PNR Luzon System program.
“Finally, the PNR South Railways project which we have tediously designed as a key that will unlock economic potentials of the vast Southern Tagalog and Bicol areas, will soon be a reality,” said Salceda, the project’s original proponent.
The PNR South Railway segment will cut the Manila-Legazpi travel to less than five hours. It runs from Manila to Matnog in Sorsogon with nine major stations―Manila, Los Baños, Batangas City, Lucena, Gumaca, Naga City, Legazpi City, Sorsogon City and Matnog.
Salceda said the PNR Luzon System under the Department of Transportation is among the big-ticket infrastructure projects under an official development assistance agreement recently signed between China and the Philippines.
http://manilastandard.net/business/biz-plus/310650/south-rail-to-start-in-q2-salceda-.html
Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, who has been pushing for the project for many years, said the bidding for the 408-kilometer PNR segment was completed November this year and would be awarded to the winning contractor in April 2020.
The PNR Long Haul stretch consists of a 639-kilometer standard gauge railroad tracks from Manila to Sorsogon, a component of the PNR Luzon System program.
“Finally, the PNR South Railways project which we have tediously designed as a key that will unlock economic potentials of the vast Southern Tagalog and Bicol areas, will soon be a reality,” said Salceda, the project’s original proponent.
The PNR South Railway segment will cut the Manila-Legazpi travel to less than five hours. It runs from Manila to Matnog in Sorsogon with nine major stations―Manila, Los Baños, Batangas City, Lucena, Gumaca, Naga City, Legazpi City, Sorsogon City and Matnog.
Salceda said the PNR Luzon System under the Department of Transportation is among the big-ticket infrastructure projects under an official development assistance agreement recently signed between China and the Philippines.
http://manilastandard.net/business/biz-plus/310650/south-rail-to-start-in-q2-salceda-.html
SMC eyes opening of Skyway 3 by April 2020
San Miguel Corp. said the Skyway Stage 3 project, which stretches from Buendia in Makati City to the North Luzon Expressway in Balintawak, Quezon City, is set to open by April next year.
“Today, travel time between Baliktawak up to Buendia in Makati takes several hours. With the Skyway Stage 3, that will only take 15 minutes. Motorists from the south can also go directly to any point in Makati, Manila, Quezon City, and bypass Alabang and EDSA,” San Miguel president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said.
“Today, travel time between Baliktawak up to Buendia in Makati takes several hours. With the Skyway Stage 3, that will only take 15 minutes. Motorists from the south can also go directly to any point in Makati, Manila, Quezon City, and bypass Alabang and EDSA,” San Miguel president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said.
“More importantly, Skyway 3 will take out about 50 percent of vehicles on EDSA, according to our estimates,” Ang said.
Skyway Stage 3 has four sections, with Section 1 running from Buendia to Plaza Dilao, Section 2 from Plaza Dilao to Aurora Boulevard, Section 3 from Aurora Boulevard to Quezon Ave. and Section 4 from Quezon Avenue to EDSA/Balintawak.
The company is also constructing the Skyway Stage 4, a 58.09-km road from the south of Metro Manila Skyway to Batasan Complex, Quezon City. The project aims to decongest EDSA, C5 and other major roads, while providing a faster alternative route for motorists coming from Rizal and the CALABARZON area. It is expected to be completed by 2022.
San Miguel earlier said it would submit an unsolicited bid for a $3-billion elevated expressway along EDSA patterned after an Indonesian project.
San Miguel operates the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway, the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, South Luzon Expressway, the Skyway System and the NAIA Expressway.
San Miguel’s SMC Infrastructure is also building the 22-km Metro Rail Transit Line 7 from North Ave. in Quezon City to San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
LRMC launches app for LRT-1
LIGHT RAIL Manila Corp. (LRMC) launched its free ikotMNL mobile app which gives commuters travel route information for the LRT-1 train line, LRMC said in a statement on Tuesday.
The app, which is available for both iOS and Android, allows users to plan trips ahead of time. It features real-time train arrivals, departures, fare information, crowd monitoring in twenty stations, information on tourist spots, safety reminders, passenger advisories, and announcements.
It also has a chat box for customer service assistance and a feedback form to help improve passenger experiences.
LRMC President and CEO Juan F. Alfonso talked about innovation as a tool to improve customer experience.
“This is the first railway and tourism app in the Philippines. We constantly look for modern ways to change the way we move people and this ikotMNL app is an innovative tool to delight our passengers with a comfortable, safe, and convenient experience when riding the LRT-1,” he said.
For tourists, the app contains detailed directions to tourist spots close to LRT-1 stations and information about local tour operators.
LRMC Corporate Communications Head Jacqueline Gorospe said the organization has spent time and effort in making the app “the best it can be” in its early stages.
“We already have more features in mind to add to the app. It is our way to keep improving it so that those who have downloaded and yet to download the ikotMNL mobile app may continue to enjoy using it,” she said.
LRMC said the app is a unified urban mobility and transport app, and could be developed into a lifestyle app.
The company plans to further upgrade the app by including beep card and QR code options for fares as well as participating in tie-ups with merchants.
LRMC is a private joint venture company of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.’s Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp., Ayala Corp's AC Infrastructure and Holdings Corp., and the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure’s Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings.
LRMC took over operations of LRT-1 in September 2015, through a P65 billion three decade long concession agreement with the Department of Transportation and the Light Rail Transit Authority.
LRMC in Oct. acquired 90% of the right of way for the Phase 1 of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project, a P64.9 billion public-private partnership. — Jenina P. Ibañez
https://www.bworldonline.com/lrmc-launches-app-for-lrt-1/
The app, which is available for both iOS and Android, allows users to plan trips ahead of time. It features real-time train arrivals, departures, fare information, crowd monitoring in twenty stations, information on tourist spots, safety reminders, passenger advisories, and announcements.
It also has a chat box for customer service assistance and a feedback form to help improve passenger experiences.
LRMC President and CEO Juan F. Alfonso talked about innovation as a tool to improve customer experience.
“This is the first railway and tourism app in the Philippines. We constantly look for modern ways to change the way we move people and this ikotMNL app is an innovative tool to delight our passengers with a comfortable, safe, and convenient experience when riding the LRT-1,” he said.
For tourists, the app contains detailed directions to tourist spots close to LRT-1 stations and information about local tour operators.
LRMC Corporate Communications Head Jacqueline Gorospe said the organization has spent time and effort in making the app “the best it can be” in its early stages.
“We already have more features in mind to add to the app. It is our way to keep improving it so that those who have downloaded and yet to download the ikotMNL mobile app may continue to enjoy using it,” she said.
LRMC said the app is a unified urban mobility and transport app, and could be developed into a lifestyle app.
The company plans to further upgrade the app by including beep card and QR code options for fares as well as participating in tie-ups with merchants.
LRMC is a private joint venture company of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.’s Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp., Ayala Corp's AC Infrastructure and Holdings Corp., and the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure’s Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings.
LRMC took over operations of LRT-1 in September 2015, through a P65 billion three decade long concession agreement with the Department of Transportation and the Light Rail Transit Authority.
LRMC in Oct. acquired 90% of the right of way for the Phase 1 of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project, a P64.9 billion public-private partnership. — Jenina P. Ibañez
https://www.bworldonline.com/lrmc-launches-app-for-lrt-1/
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Subway to evict us for oligarchs’ sake, homeowners cry to Rody
The subway is taking our property for giveaway to big business.” Home and lot owners at both ends of a planned Metro Manila underground rail relayed that plot to President Rody Duterte. For “oligarchic interest” the subway is evicting them from prime residential, commercial, and industrial property even though nearby government lands are available as alternatives. The homes and lots are to be expropriated at huge government expense, then granted to influential conglomerates for commercial use.
Anguished are folk from Barangay Ugong, Valenzuela City, north side of the capital region, and Barangay San Martin de Porres, Parañaque City, south. An oversized depot is planned in Ugong, despite Japanese rail experts’ study for only one-fourth the size and at a different site. A previously announced “Bicutan station” is to rise in San Martin, less than a kilometer from the original end-station at Food Terminal Inc., Taguig, where vast public lands are aplenty.
The Valenzuela and Parañaque property owners separately have petitioned Duterte to save them from dispossession. They seek audiences with him to detail their findings.
“We are 100-percent behind our President’s ‘Build, Build, Build Program’,” the Valenzuelans wrote on June 22, 2017. “We realize there is Public-Private Partnership in big projects like [the subway]... Conglomerates that have money, power, and connections look for economical means of expanding their businesses, and use this opportunity to acquire land. As they have the capacity to influence, they do not need to look for land that is for sale, or spend money accommodating and working around resistant landowners. They may simply exploit government’s power of eminent domain.”
They went on: “Unlike multibillionaire businessmen, we cannot find cheap land and turn them to gold. We have to wait and rely on our fate and our government to build us nice roads and highways for the value of our land to appreciate.”
Some petitioners have been living in Ugong for half a century, inheriting ancestral land when there were yet no roads or utilities. Once outback, it is now mostly commercial-industrial, with factories, shops, restaurants, resorts, schools, hospitals, and churches. “Painful for us that just when our land is starting to flourish, it will be taken away,” they said. “There can be no other better land with this much potential for us to move and transfer our residences and businesses. Taking our land is tantamount to taking our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a good future.”
The 32 hectares being taken in Ugong is quadruple what Japan International Cooperation Agency recommended to the Dept. of Transportation in 2015, they said. Elongated, the area has a 2.5-km prime highway frontage. Lots are worth P33,000 per square meter. An adjacent largely uninhabited residential subdivision, across the boundary in Caloocan City, is being sold for far less. Beside it are two abandoned factories and squatter colonies presently being relocated. Unlike parts of Ugong, the subdivision never floods up during rains, ideal for a depot.
Nearly 1,300 lot owners, businessmen, residents, and employees signed. DOTr policy is to use government lands as much as possible, while JICA’s is to minimize socio-economic dislocations.
“At first we were hesitant to bother you with our problem, but it seems you are our only hope,” the Valenzuela petitioners followed up with Duterte on Sep. 13, 2017. “We have to safeguard our property and livelihood against corrupt officials [and] oligarchs, because their motives and actions will adversely affect the future and welfare of our children... We hope we can sit down and discuss this matter with you at the soonest possible time.”
In Parañaque, homeowners of United Hills Village wrote Duterte two years later, Sep. 20, 2019. Along with residents and shop owners of United Parañaque Subd.-2, Makati South Hills, East Service Road, and Malugay, they had been notified by Ecosys of expropriation and displacement for a newly disclosed Bicutan station. Supposedly their property are to serve as temporary road and construction yard, then for “mixed use or commercial business purposes.” They pointed to three nearby government lands, as well as two abandoned private lots, as alternative. One is owned by DOTr itself, another by Philippine National Construction Co., and the third, at least 26 hectares, by the Dept. of Agriculture. The latter is inside sprawling Food Terminal Inc. where the subway end-station originally was proposed.
“Expropriation is unnecessary since the purpose is temporary in nature,” they told Duterte. “There are sufficient available public lands covering many hectares all around the area, which could be utilized by the contractors. As such the government will save millions of taxpayers money as public land is free for government use.”
They added: “There is no necessity for government to exercise its power of eminent domain, otherwise it would lead to oppression and sacrifice of private property to benefit business interests.”
The Parañaque folk asked Duterte to order a DOTr resurvey of the area for new lot plans and site maps using government lands in FTI.
“Nothing would make us happier than to build a future in which our children can live in a prosperous and stable society,” they said. “But expropriation, which would ultimately benefit private individuals and enterprises, will deny that future.”
They also petitioned the Parañaque city council to first publicly hear their side, in accordance with the Local Government Code, before granting permits for the subway works. They cited health and environment hazards of the construction and operation.
“Investigate possible vested interests of big businesses regarding the Bicutan station and sudden interest in expropriation of United Hills Village,” they said in that earlier petition. Any expropriation must be solely for public, not for mixed commercial use. Alarming for them is a Mar. 25, 2018 article in the Philippine Information Agency website, “Gov’t Eyes Commercial Development of Metro Subway Stations to Help Pay Off JICA Loan for Project.”
In Quezon City, where seven of 15 subway stations are to be built, property owners are resisting too. City councilors have asked DOTr to revert to the original alignment along EDSA, to augment MRT-3.
The subway suddenly was rerouted in Dec. 2016 to Katipunan Avenue, QC, onto FTI-Taguig. In that new alignment it would twice traverse a major earthquake fault and flood zones. Cost estimate shot up from P208 billion to P357 billion. JICA engineers had preferred the EDSA route benefiting more riders and disturbing few structures.
https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2019/11/20/1970241/subway-evict-us-oligarchs-sake-homeowners-cry-rody
Anguished are folk from Barangay Ugong, Valenzuela City, north side of the capital region, and Barangay San Martin de Porres, Parañaque City, south. An oversized depot is planned in Ugong, despite Japanese rail experts’ study for only one-fourth the size and at a different site. A previously announced “Bicutan station” is to rise in San Martin, less than a kilometer from the original end-station at Food Terminal Inc., Taguig, where vast public lands are aplenty.
The Valenzuela and Parañaque property owners separately have petitioned Duterte to save them from dispossession. They seek audiences with him to detail their findings.
“We are 100-percent behind our President’s ‘Build, Build, Build Program’,” the Valenzuelans wrote on June 22, 2017. “We realize there is Public-Private Partnership in big projects like [the subway]... Conglomerates that have money, power, and connections look for economical means of expanding their businesses, and use this opportunity to acquire land. As they have the capacity to influence, they do not need to look for land that is for sale, or spend money accommodating and working around resistant landowners. They may simply exploit government’s power of eminent domain.”
They went on: “Unlike multibillionaire businessmen, we cannot find cheap land and turn them to gold. We have to wait and rely on our fate and our government to build us nice roads and highways for the value of our land to appreciate.”
Some petitioners have been living in Ugong for half a century, inheriting ancestral land when there were yet no roads or utilities. Once outback, it is now mostly commercial-industrial, with factories, shops, restaurants, resorts, schools, hospitals, and churches. “Painful for us that just when our land is starting to flourish, it will be taken away,” they said. “There can be no other better land with this much potential for us to move and transfer our residences and businesses. Taking our land is tantamount to taking our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a good future.”
The 32 hectares being taken in Ugong is quadruple what Japan International Cooperation Agency recommended to the Dept. of Transportation in 2015, they said. Elongated, the area has a 2.5-km prime highway frontage. Lots are worth P33,000 per square meter. An adjacent largely uninhabited residential subdivision, across the boundary in Caloocan City, is being sold for far less. Beside it are two abandoned factories and squatter colonies presently being relocated. Unlike parts of Ugong, the subdivision never floods up during rains, ideal for a depot.
Nearly 1,300 lot owners, businessmen, residents, and employees signed. DOTr policy is to use government lands as much as possible, while JICA’s is to minimize socio-economic dislocations.
“At first we were hesitant to bother you with our problem, but it seems you are our only hope,” the Valenzuela petitioners followed up with Duterte on Sep. 13, 2017. “We have to safeguard our property and livelihood against corrupt officials [and] oligarchs, because their motives and actions will adversely affect the future and welfare of our children... We hope we can sit down and discuss this matter with you at the soonest possible time.”
In Parañaque, homeowners of United Hills Village wrote Duterte two years later, Sep. 20, 2019. Along with residents and shop owners of United Parañaque Subd.-2, Makati South Hills, East Service Road, and Malugay, they had been notified by Ecosys of expropriation and displacement for a newly disclosed Bicutan station. Supposedly their property are to serve as temporary road and construction yard, then for “mixed use or commercial business purposes.” They pointed to three nearby government lands, as well as two abandoned private lots, as alternative. One is owned by DOTr itself, another by Philippine National Construction Co., and the third, at least 26 hectares, by the Dept. of Agriculture. The latter is inside sprawling Food Terminal Inc. where the subway end-station originally was proposed.
“Expropriation is unnecessary since the purpose is temporary in nature,” they told Duterte. “There are sufficient available public lands covering many hectares all around the area, which could be utilized by the contractors. As such the government will save millions of taxpayers money as public land is free for government use.”
They added: “There is no necessity for government to exercise its power of eminent domain, otherwise it would lead to oppression and sacrifice of private property to benefit business interests.”
The Parañaque folk asked Duterte to order a DOTr resurvey of the area for new lot plans and site maps using government lands in FTI.
“Nothing would make us happier than to build a future in which our children can live in a prosperous and stable society,” they said. “But expropriation, which would ultimately benefit private individuals and enterprises, will deny that future.”
They also petitioned the Parañaque city council to first publicly hear their side, in accordance with the Local Government Code, before granting permits for the subway works. They cited health and environment hazards of the construction and operation.
“Investigate possible vested interests of big businesses regarding the Bicutan station and sudden interest in expropriation of United Hills Village,” they said in that earlier petition. Any expropriation must be solely for public, not for mixed commercial use. Alarming for them is a Mar. 25, 2018 article in the Philippine Information Agency website, “Gov’t Eyes Commercial Development of Metro Subway Stations to Help Pay Off JICA Loan for Project.”
In Quezon City, where seven of 15 subway stations are to be built, property owners are resisting too. City councilors have asked DOTr to revert to the original alignment along EDSA, to augment MRT-3.
The subway suddenly was rerouted in Dec. 2016 to Katipunan Avenue, QC, onto FTI-Taguig. In that new alignment it would twice traverse a major earthquake fault and flood zones. Cost estimate shot up from P208 billion to P357 billion. JICA engineers had preferred the EDSA route benefiting more riders and disturbing few structures.
https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2019/11/20/1970241/subway-evict-us-oligarchs-sake-homeowners-cry-rody
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Commentary: Tracking the metro rail trains
The MRT-3 is almost two decades old. The glitches and malfunctions that this metro rail system continues to suffer are symptomatic of the need to undertake serious rehabilitation and repairs.
Last September 6, the said metro rail only resumed regular operations at 5 p.m. after the northbound lane of the Guadalupe station suffered from a power supply problem at 6:45 a.m. Partial operations were however continued at 9:35 a.m.
On October 3, another power glitch forced 508 passengers to disembark at 10:17 a.m.; but normal operations continued several minutes after power supply was returned. And on November 4, around 530 passengers were unloaded from the train after smoke emission was detected at the Santolan station at 4:08 p.m. Normal operations were restored at 6:06 p.m.
In 2017, hundreds and thousands of commuters were affected by more than 500 recorded glitches and malfunctions. This is unacceptable by any standard and underscore the public’s continuing aspiration for an efficient and reliable rail based systems for efficient daily transport of millions of commuters of Metro Manila
Despite serious delays in the rehabilitation schedule, the Department of Transportation rail sector led by Undersecretary Timothy John Batan is optimistic that MRT-3’s rehabilitation and maintenance provider, Sumitomo-Mitsubishi Heavy, will be able to deliver on its commitment to carry out extensive repairs to all rolling stock and equipment in order to restore the MRT-3’ s safety and efficiency.
Aside from the external risks brought by the Philippine government’s insistence on using the Dalian coaches, rehabilitation would include ensuring high operating rates of entire line even after the repairs are finished.
In fact, the MRT-3’s rehabilitation plan includes repairs covering the rail lines, wiring, transformers, signals, communications, rolling stock, among others. Basically, the ultimate objective of the rehabilitation is to return the MRT-3 to its original state when it first went into full operation in 2000.
Meanwhile, there is a new controversy on the DoTr’s flagship rail project, the Metro Manila Subway. Senate Public Services Committee Chair Grace Poe has sought an inquiry on the country’s first underground rail service, due to cost concerns and the alteration of original plans.
The Quezon City Council led by Councilor Winston Castelo raised concerns related to the proximity of the subway to the West Valley Fault, and proposed a rerouting of the subway alignment along EDSA.
However, no less than Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade had dismissed all possibility that the subway alignment may be changed. “The alignment will not be changed anymore because the study has already been approved. At a certain point, if there are solutions that we can use, we will study them,” he said.
In fairness to the DoTr, the approved subway proposal was the result of a thorough study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and validated by country’s state planning agency, the National Economic Development Authority.
The subway will connect different Metro Manila cities, from Quezon City in the north to Parañaque in the south, which would definitely address the transportation needs of a growing public and alleviate serious traffic congestion in Metro Manila.
In fact, the subway project is envisioned to be one of the main north-south transport backbones of Metro Manila, together with other upcoming rail projects such as the North-South Commuter Railway project (NSCR).
Courtesy of Japan, the Philippine government in March 2018 signed the first loan agreement from JICA covering 104.53 billion yen (P51 billion). The total project cost is estimated at 800 billion yen (P393 billion). The loan will have an interest rate of 0.1% a year and a repayment period of 40 years, including a 12-year grace period.
The subway trains are projected to travel at a scheduled speed of 35.6-48.5 kilometer per hour plying a tunnel structure that is designed as a double, single track with a standard diameter of 6.8 meters. Further, the joint DOTr-JICA project summary also provided that the planners have studied alternate routes, namely, along Metro Manila’s main road Edsa and Greenhills in San Juan. Lastly, the final alignment was chosen based on project cost, demand forecasts, connectivity to business districts, earthquake and flood risk as well as noise and vibration.
Another critical factor in the development of this subway project is to ensure that all money spent for undergoes the right processes, particularly related to right-of-way acquisition.
As the country’s first underground rail service, affected property owners along the subway alignment may be uncertain of their legal rights in the event the project tunnels through their properties. In this respect, the DoTr is expected to conduct and present a legal study defining these novel types of property rights which will certainly come to the fore as subway construction starts.
The Metro Manila subway will span 35 kilometers with stations in Mindanao Avenue, Tandang Sora, North Avenue, Quezon Avenue, East Avenue, Anonas, Katipunan, Ortigas North, Ortigas South, Kalayaan Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Cayetano Boulevard, the Food Terminal Inc. complex and NAIA.
Current Philippine infrastructure challenges portend strategic developmental opportunities that government and private sector should jointly seize. It is hence imperative for government to initiate and implement effective collaborative partnerships. We just have to do it right.
Terry Ridon is fellow for Infrastructure of the Stratbase ADR Institute, convenor of Infrawatch PH, and former chairman of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor. He was a member of the House Transportation Committee of the 16th Congress.
https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/news-feature/2019/11/17/1969521/commentary-tracking-metro-rail-trains
Last September 6, the said metro rail only resumed regular operations at 5 p.m. after the northbound lane of the Guadalupe station suffered from a power supply problem at 6:45 a.m. Partial operations were however continued at 9:35 a.m.
On October 3, another power glitch forced 508 passengers to disembark at 10:17 a.m.; but normal operations continued several minutes after power supply was returned. And on November 4, around 530 passengers were unloaded from the train after smoke emission was detected at the Santolan station at 4:08 p.m. Normal operations were restored at 6:06 p.m.
In 2017, hundreds and thousands of commuters were affected by more than 500 recorded glitches and malfunctions. This is unacceptable by any standard and underscore the public’s continuing aspiration for an efficient and reliable rail based systems for efficient daily transport of millions of commuters of Metro Manila
Despite serious delays in the rehabilitation schedule, the Department of Transportation rail sector led by Undersecretary Timothy John Batan is optimistic that MRT-3’s rehabilitation and maintenance provider, Sumitomo-Mitsubishi Heavy, will be able to deliver on its commitment to carry out extensive repairs to all rolling stock and equipment in order to restore the MRT-3’ s safety and efficiency.
Aside from the external risks brought by the Philippine government’s insistence on using the Dalian coaches, rehabilitation would include ensuring high operating rates of entire line even after the repairs are finished.
In fact, the MRT-3’s rehabilitation plan includes repairs covering the rail lines, wiring, transformers, signals, communications, rolling stock, among others. Basically, the ultimate objective of the rehabilitation is to return the MRT-3 to its original state when it first went into full operation in 2000.
Meanwhile, there is a new controversy on the DoTr’s flagship rail project, the Metro Manila Subway. Senate Public Services Committee Chair Grace Poe has sought an inquiry on the country’s first underground rail service, due to cost concerns and the alteration of original plans.
The Quezon City Council led by Councilor Winston Castelo raised concerns related to the proximity of the subway to the West Valley Fault, and proposed a rerouting of the subway alignment along EDSA.
However, no less than Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade had dismissed all possibility that the subway alignment may be changed. “The alignment will not be changed anymore because the study has already been approved. At a certain point, if there are solutions that we can use, we will study them,” he said.
In fairness to the DoTr, the approved subway proposal was the result of a thorough study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and validated by country’s state planning agency, the National Economic Development Authority.
The subway will connect different Metro Manila cities, from Quezon City in the north to Parañaque in the south, which would definitely address the transportation needs of a growing public and alleviate serious traffic congestion in Metro Manila.
In fact, the subway project is envisioned to be one of the main north-south transport backbones of Metro Manila, together with other upcoming rail projects such as the North-South Commuter Railway project (NSCR).
Courtesy of Japan, the Philippine government in March 2018 signed the first loan agreement from JICA covering 104.53 billion yen (P51 billion). The total project cost is estimated at 800 billion yen (P393 billion). The loan will have an interest rate of 0.1% a year and a repayment period of 40 years, including a 12-year grace period.
The subway trains are projected to travel at a scheduled speed of 35.6-48.5 kilometer per hour plying a tunnel structure that is designed as a double, single track with a standard diameter of 6.8 meters. Further, the joint DOTr-JICA project summary also provided that the planners have studied alternate routes, namely, along Metro Manila’s main road Edsa and Greenhills in San Juan. Lastly, the final alignment was chosen based on project cost, demand forecasts, connectivity to business districts, earthquake and flood risk as well as noise and vibration.
Another critical factor in the development of this subway project is to ensure that all money spent for undergoes the right processes, particularly related to right-of-way acquisition.
As the country’s first underground rail service, affected property owners along the subway alignment may be uncertain of their legal rights in the event the project tunnels through their properties. In this respect, the DoTr is expected to conduct and present a legal study defining these novel types of property rights which will certainly come to the fore as subway construction starts.
The Metro Manila subway will span 35 kilometers with stations in Mindanao Avenue, Tandang Sora, North Avenue, Quezon Avenue, East Avenue, Anonas, Katipunan, Ortigas North, Ortigas South, Kalayaan Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Cayetano Boulevard, the Food Terminal Inc. complex and NAIA.
Current Philippine infrastructure challenges portend strategic developmental opportunities that government and private sector should jointly seize. It is hence imperative for government to initiate and implement effective collaborative partnerships. We just have to do it right.
Terry Ridon is fellow for Infrastructure of the Stratbase ADR Institute, convenor of Infrawatch PH, and former chairman of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor. He was a member of the House Transportation Committee of the 16th Congress.
https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/news-feature/2019/11/17/1969521/commentary-tracking-metro-rail-trains
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