by Christopher Hedreyda, PIA4A July 9, 2022 South Commuter Railway project CALAMBA CITY, Laguna — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) ha...
July 9, 2022
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| South Commuter Railway project |
CALAMBA CITY, Laguna — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has announced on June 9 that it has secured a total of $4.3 billion or P227.6 billion in loan financing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to formally construct the South Commuter Railway Project connecting Manila and Calamba City, Laguna.
The South Commuter Railway project is a part of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) network under the “Build, Build, Build” program of the Duterte administration, which would bring comfort and convenience to the Filipino people once constructed, according to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.
In a statement released by the ADB, the investment in the railway system is the bank’s largest infrastructure financing in the Asia and Pacific region to date and proves the commitment of the ADB in assisting the Philippines to achieve its high economic growth target.
“The South Commuter Railway Project will provide affordable, safe, reliable, and fast public transport for commuters,” said ADB Vice-President for East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Ahmed M. Saeed.
He added, “This project represents ADB’s biggest infrastructure investment and reflects our commitment to helping the Philippines attain its goals of reducing poverty, improving the lives of Filipinos, and achieving green, resilient, and high economic growth.”
The project would be financed under a multi-tranche financing facility, with the first tranche of $1.75 billion to be made available starting this year, while the second and third tranches will be made available by 2024 and 2026.
The ADB added that it would cover civil works for the railway viaduct, stations, bridges, tunnels, and depot buildings. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is financing the rolling stock and railway systems.
The railway system will have 18 stations traversing City of Manila, Makati City, Taguig City, Paranaque City, Muntinlupa City, San Pedro City, Binan City, Santa Rosa City, Cabuyao City, and Calamba City.
It will also have a connecting tunnel to allow the operation of direct trains from Calamba to stations on the future Metro Manila Subway system, further reducing the travel time between Manila and Calamba from 2.5 hours down to an hour.
From an economic perspective, the ADB has highlighted in its study that the NSCR will further strengthen the Philippines’ economic recovery from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as it is expected to create more than 35,500 jobs during construction and over 3,200 permanent jobs during operation.
It is projected that with an improved travel time and better connectivity in the region, Filipinos will have better access to an average of more than 300,000 jobs within any 1-hour commute, creating a multiplier effect in the economy through new opportunities opened by the infrastructure program.
While the country receives its fair share of natural calamities, the ADB declared that all infrastructure will be designed to be disaster-resilient and able to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. The main railway will also be elevated to avoid flooding and reduce the impact and disruption to communities along the railway route. — Christopher Hedreyda, PIA4A
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